The equipment are to help in providing better health care for the residents of  Tuobodom and its environs as government makes preparation to build a bigger district hospital for the people.

At a presentation ceremony at the Hospital premises in Tuobodom, where chiefs and queen mothers of the area together with the medical staff gathered to receive the medical supplies, First Lady Mrs Lordina Mahama, said her Foundation sought to support most health centres and hospitals in all the districts to ensure effective care for the citizenry.

She said the Lordina Foundation, with the support of Medshare partners and other sponsors had over the years assisted a number of districts hospitals across the 10 regions with such medical supplies that included hospital beds, mattresses, gloves, wheelchairs, syringes, and blood pressure machines as part of efforts to support efforts of government at providing universal health care for Ghanaians. 

She used the occasion to address the issue of universal and quality education for children, most especially, early childhood education and development. She said it was a known fact that easy access to education liberates generations of families from the shackles of poverty and that education was a basic right, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“Therefore every girl and boy should have the right to a quality education so that they can have more chances in life, including employment opportunities, better health and also to participate in the political process,” Mrs Mahama said.

She explained that the 2015 report of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), had stated that sub-Saharan Africa remained the home to the largest out of school population of children in the world.  More so, despite the fact that Ghana had achieved universal enrolment of children in primary school, there are still a significant number of children, especially girls, in the rural areas that were not in school.

“This informs my call for equal opportunities to education for every child when I addressed a large gathering of chiefs and queen mothers, and other dignitaries at a colourful durbar to mark the 7th Annual Convention of the Council of Brong Ahafo Associations of North America (COBAANA) at Worcester, Massachusetts in the US,” the First Lady said.

She said it was just not enough to get children in school and that parents and stakeholders in the education sector needed to ensure that children learned to read, count, and acquire the necessary life skills.

“A special focus has to be given to the most vulnerable and marginalised groups including children living in fragile and conflict-affected areas, children with disabilities, and girls who are most likely to be affected because of inadequate learning materials and unsuitable education infrastructure.

“Let us remember, that education is one of the most important investments a country can make in its people and its future to eradicate poverty, and create wealth,” Mrs Mahama said. She reassured the people of government’s commitment to improving education in the country,  saying, under education, which falls under “Putting people first”, one of the four themes of the National Democratic Congress  manifesto, the President, among other things, promised to establish colleges of education for the sole purpose of training teachers in early childhood care and development.

She said the government was also determined to eliminate all schools under trees by 2021 and to pilot the use of electronic textbooks at the JHS and secondary level where students would receive tablets that have their core textbooks on it.  “By bringing in this innovation, the government believes that education would become easier for our children,” Mrs Mahama explained.

She said: “This and other things show how committed government is in meeting the Sustainable Development Goal 4, which is to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all” by 2030”.

The First Lady used the opportunity to urge the people to live in harmony with each other and promote unity at all times saying: “We are the same people but with different understandings so let us be mindful of our utterances”.

She said as Ghana prepares to go to the polls on December 7, there was the need to preach and maintain the peace Ghana was enjoying wherever people found themselves. Ms Cecelia Bonbanye, Techiman North District Health Director, who received the items on behalf of the Health Centre promised to put them into good use, as they work towards the delivery of total healthcare of the people.

Nana Sarpong Kumakuma Gyan, Nifahene of Tuobodom and Nana Owusu Amankwa, Akwamuhene of Tuobodom, both thanked the First Lady for her many benevolence programmes, she had provided to the whole of the Brong Ahafo Region, especially, the Tuobodom Township.   

They both promised to ensure that peace was maintained within community before, during and after the 2016 elections. Mr Alex Kofi Kyeremeh, Deputy Minister of Education and Member of Parliament for Techniman North said government would continue to bring more development to the area if voted into power to allow President Mahama to serve his second term as President of the state.

Mr Eric Opoku, Regional Minister, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Tourism Minister,  accompanied the First Lady on the presentation ceremony.