The management of Golden Exotics Limited (GEL) has presented a refurbished Osudoku H/C Public Health Centre at Asutsuare in the Eastern Region to the Shai-Osudoku District Health Directorate. The facility, in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, is to help improve healthcare delivery in the Shai Osudoku District and its surrounding communities. As part of the refurbishment, GIZ procured medical equipment, including Thermometers, Weighing Scales, Test Strips for Non-Communicable Diseases, and Vaccine carriers among others, to enhance the quality of care for patients. The refurbishment was carried out as part of the 'COVID-19 Comprehensive Pandemic Management for Employees, Families and Communities' project implemented by GIZ. The transformation of the once dilapidated Public Health Unit is just one of the many activities that the partners have undertaken in the last two years towards the sustainable strengthening of the Ghanaian health system to be better prepared against now and any future pandemics. Mr Benedict Rich, the Managing Director, GEL said 'We anticipate a huge number of benefits for the communities, including reducing the barrier to accessing health services; strategically contributing to preventable maternal, newborn and child death.' He said this would also include stillbirth and improve the overall health and well-being of the women and children in Asutsuare, and provide facilities for family planning, malaria and HIV treatment services, and improvement of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Activities. The Managing Director said the Company was approached by the Directorate to support them refurbish the facility. He said the Company believed that their activities in the communities were important and these would go a long way to support members in the communities. He said the Company, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, focused on healthcare delivery and education among others. 'Last years, the Company spent GH?2million in fixing th e road networks through the entire communities,' he added. He urged the government through its representatives to fix the road networks in the area to enable the Company to do more to support the communities. The Managing Director said the Company believed in strategic partnership in ensuring sustainable growth and development. Mr Fred Offei, the District Chief Executive for the Shai-Osudoku District Assembly, expressed gratitude to the Company for their support to the communities. Reverend Ebenezer Asiamah, District Director of Health, commended the partnership that saw to the refurbishment of the facility. He said they have an initiative called the 'Network of Practice' to ensure that there is an ambulance and CHIPS Compound at all facilities to ensure easy reference. He said the facility would go a long way to serve the over 20,000 people in the community and its catchment area. The Director expressed the hope that GEL, Fairtrade and GIZ would do more to support healthcare delivery in the area. Mad am Tabea Boateng, Technical Advisor of develoPPP Health, said as an outcome of the project, partnering companies would have well-established pandemic preparedness plans, business continuity plans and enhanced employee wellbeing programmes whereas the employees would have increased access to health and safety, improved financial well-being as well as have their jobs secured. She said in the first quarter of 2024, training for the clinic's staff would take place to further improve healthcare in Asutsuare and neighbouring communities. Currently, GIZ promotes sustainable development in Ghana via about 50 programmes and projects. GIZ is boosting Ghana's potential by focusing its projects on three priority areas Responsibility for our planet - climate and energy. Source: Ghana News Agency