The Ghana Health Service (GHS), on Friday inaugurated one of the 16 Urban Community Health Improvement Service centres at Tema Station in Accra. The centre is expected to serve as a link between the traders, drivers and commuters as well as people who reside around the area and the major hospitals.
Dr Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira, Director General of the GHS, said the completion of the clinic was a fulfillment of their dream to bring health care right at the door steps of people who use the Tema Station on regular basis.
He said the most important mission on earth was to love one's neighbour as yourself, and as such health workers always made it a point to send health care to families and homes, but not everyone could be found at home at all times, hence the need for an extension of the service to public places.
He said the centre was expected to serve as a start to the establishment of the rest of the 15 centres across the Greater Accra Region, as well as bring primary health care to everyone around the station and market. Dr Appiah-Denkyira said in the long run the influence of the facility would help traders and drivers maintain a very clean environment around the station.
He encouraged all members of the market, including the drivers to take the opportunity to visit the facility on regular basis to check their health, adding that they must maintain the facility in order for it to serve its intended purpose. He noted that the service through the initiative was bringing healthcare down to the people and as such advised the station owners to have a governing system in place to help manage the place for it to function properly.
Dr Linda Van Otto, Regional Director, GHS said the centre had been established with the health care of the people in mind, and expressed the hope that it would serve the purpose for which it was established.
She expressed appreciation to the leadership of Ghana Private Road Transport Union, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Market Women Association and all who helped the service realise the dream, and asked for their continuous support. She appealed to the health workers at the facility to maintain a cordial relationship with members of the stations and urged the members of the station, not to only visit the facility when they are sick but to make it a habit to go there regularly for medical checkups.