H.E. Lordina Dramani Mahama has been enstooled as Development Queen Mother of the Akroso-Asukawkaw Traditional Area, taking the title Nana Oseadeayo Odamwaa II, following her inauguration of a new maternity and children’s health facility at Asukawkaw in the Krachi East District of the Oti Region.
The honour was conferred by Nana Odamu Gyamfi III and his elders in recognition of her commitment to improving maternal and child healthcare in the area.
The newly commissioned facility, funded by the Lordina Foundation with support from donors and partners, is the fourth maternity and children’s ward the Foundation has constructed and handed over to the Ghana Health Service.
It was built in response to a request from the Paramount Chief, who had drawn attention to the dangers pregnant women faced travelling long distances for care.
Addressing the gathering, Mrs Mahama reiterated her motivation for the project. “No woman should die while giving life, and no child should start without proper care just because of where they were born,” she said, noting that nearly one in ten Ghanaian women face pregnancy-related death risks.
“This is no coincidence, it was a call to action,” she added, recalling the email from Nana Odamu Gyamfi III that highlighted the urgent need for a properly equipped facility in the community.
The centre is fitted with a reception area, consulting offices, maternity and children’s wards, an operating theatre, delivery and sterilisation rooms, a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and storage and data rooms.
It is equipped with electric beds, incubators, ultrasound machines, C-section and delivery kits, ECG machines, phototherapy units, oxygen systems and a hybrid solar-grid power system to ensure reliable service.
Minister for Health Kwabena Akandoh described the project as “a practical step towards safe, timely, and dignified care for mothers, newborns, and children,” and commended Mrs Mahama for her “unparalleled contributions” to women and children’s health.
Board Chair of the Foundation, Kwame Boateng Sarpong, said the project reflects the Foundation’s continued focus on supporting rural women and children.
In expressing appreciation on behalf of the community, Nana Odamu Gyamfi III called the facility a “life-saving initiative” that will significantly improve prenatal, delivery and postnatal services for Asukawkaw and nearby communities.
Mrs Mahama urged health authorities and community leaders to maintain the facility, stressing that it should be “more than a building but a reminder that with government, leaders, and partners, we can protect every vulnerable Ghanaian.”
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
