The facility when operational would provide a one-stop facility for comprehensive women health services including in vitro fertilisation, intrauterine insemination, specialised gynaecological service and surgeries to resolve the issues of child birth and bring joy to homes.

The project, being undertaken by the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), which is about 90 per cent complete, has a theatre, ward with several private wards, a pharmacy, consulting rooms and sterilisation units.

The Director-General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), PPAG's umbrella body, Dr Alvaro Bermejo, who is on a working visit to the country, inspected work on the facility last Sunday.

He commended the PPAG for work done so far and said he was optimistic it would be operational soon.

Dr Bermejo was accompanied by the IPPF Regional Director for Africa, Marie-Evelyne Pétrus-Barry and other officials.

Dr Alvaro Bermejo (4th from left, front row) with his team and officials of the PPAG after inspecting the facility

Briefing the team, Specialist Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the PPAG in Cape Coast, Dr Betty Anane-Fenin, said apart from the general antenatal and postnatal services PPAG provided, the new facility would offer specialised antenatal services including maternal and fetal medicine, in-utero services and procedures including amnio-centesis, intra uterine transfusion and ultrasound services.

Other services to be provided she indicated, would include pediatrics, child health services and internal medicine.

Project

The National President of the PPAG, Gideon Leckson-Leckey, said the project, which was to commemorate 50 years of PPAG's activities in Ghana, would target providing high quality specialised services at competitive cost for clients.

He said the PPAG would operate the facility with a business mindset to ensure it was self-sustaining in a few years.

Mr Leckson-Leckey said the PPAG in rebranding itself to serve its communities would work to make its service facilities a reference point for quality services.

He stated that PPAG would maintain its traditional services such as education on sexual and reproductive health, safe abortions, counselling services, family planning and sexually transmitted infections and social behaviour change.

He explained that with the increasing need for specialised reproductive healthcare services, the PPAG decided to ensure the facility provided quality specialised services for the clients.

Testament

For his part, Dr Bermejo said the project was a testament of PPAG's commitment to bring quality services to the people they service and commended PPAG for work done so far.

He also stated that the efforts to shift to self-dependency was commendable, saying the project when operational would hopefully be a model that promotes self-dependence.

Dr Bermejo who would be in Ghana from February 10-13, 2024, stressed the need to build the workforce to provide quality services for clients.

During his visit, the Director-General would meet with the PPAG teams in Accra to discuss the association's priorities and challenges regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights.

He would also hold media engagements, high level courtesy calls and meetings with top Ghanaian officials including relevant cabinet ministers and private organisations working in the reproductive health sector in Ghana.

The Director-General’s visit is expected to provide an opportunity to review progress made and challenges faced.

The Executive Director of the PPAG, Abena Adubea Amoah, said the PPAG and IPPF were determined to strengthen their collaboration to improve universal access to quality sexual and reproductive health services.