The Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocesan Development Organization (NABOCADO) in the Upper East Region has cut the sod for construction works to begin on Out-Patient Departments (OPD) in two health facilities in the North East Region.

The beneficiary facilities are the Saint Patrick Health Centre at Wulugu and the Saint Joseph Health Centre at Guaboliga in the West Mamprusi Municipality of the Region.

Hungary Helps Agency, in support of Education and Health Infrastructure Development in Northern Ghana, is funding the projects.

The Vicar General, Very Reverend Father Lawrence Azure, cut the sod on behalf of the Catholic Bishop of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese, Most Reverend Alfred Agyenta, at a brief ceremony at Wulugu.

The residents of the beneficiary communities were grateful to the donors and the Diocese for the initiative to improve health delivery.

Dr Joseph Ayembilla, the Diocesan Human Development Coordinator, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the projects would improve OPD services and increase access to quality health care in the two communities.

He said the Saint Patrick Health Centre was one of the ten Diocesan health facilities established as a Centre for Child Welfare Clinic under Our Lady of Rocio Health Centre at Walewale in the West Mamprusi Municipality.

The Coordinator said the Diocesan Health Directorate converted the facility into a curative and preventive facility on January 14, 2019, to provide 24-hour services to meet the health needs of the people of Wulugu and its environs.

He said the facility offered general consultation services, laboratory, Child Welfare Clinic (CWC), maternal, and dispensary, among other services, with an average monthly attendance of 446 clients recorded in 2020.

On challenges of the facilities, especially the Saint Patrick Health Centre, Dr Ayembilla cited the lack of adequate space for effective and timely health services.

Dr Ayembilla said there was no separate office block for administrative work, adding the lack of space has made work at the facility very tedious and frustrating.

He expressed gratitude to Mr Peter Zelei, the Project Manager of the Hungary Helps Agency, for his support.

He said the total cost of the two projects, including consultancy and supervision, was about GHC406,583.30, adding that the projects were expected to be completed within six months.

He said apart from the health aspect of the project, 1,500 metallic mono desks would be supplied to 20 Primary and Junior High Schools, Enterprise Development support to 1,500 women in the Bawku West and Binduri Districts, and advocacy on the management of public goods, which would increase the total project budget to more than GHC1.891 million.

Dr Ayembilla thanked the Government of Hungary, the Hungarian Embassy in Ghana, Mr György Hölvényi, a Member of the European Parliament of Hungary and Madam Kinga von Poschinge of the 'Aid to Church in Need Organization', for their collaborative roles to support the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese.

The Chief of Wulugu, Mba Nayirana Michael Baba Charinga, described the gesture by the NABOCADO and its partners as "good news," and thanked them for the initiative and their quest to improve on the health needs of the people.