LEKMA Assembly Members kick against Health Minister’s plans to renovate Teshie Community Clinic

A group of Assembly Members in the Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA) are opposing an alleged relocation and rehabilitation of Teshie Community Clinic.

They have vowed to resist any attempt by the Assembly or Ministry of Health to demolish the facility without a proper plan for its reconstruction.

A letter intercepted by 3news indicates, the sector minister, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye has instructed the Management of Teshie Community Clinic to relocate to make room for a rehabilitation project.

The Minister explained that the Teshie community has seen a significant increase in population and that places additional pressure on the facility which is now struggling to meet their healthcare needs.

Hence the move by the Ministry of Health to rehabilitate the facility to reduce the danger it poses to the community members.

Meanwhile, the concerned Assembly members addressing a press conference on Thursday November 7, expressed doubt about availability of funds. They also raised queries about the approving agency and scope of work for the rehabilitation project.

Below is the full statement by the Teshie Concerned Assembly members.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY CONCERNED ASSEMBLYMEN OF LEKMA

Ladies and gentlemen of the press, the fourth estate of the realm, we have invited you here to shed light on the happenings within this constituency which we deem to be inimical to the wellbeing of our people in Teshie, especially residents within the Akro West and Akro East electoral areas.

Ladies and gentlemen, the above-mentioned electoral areas have a vast majority of residents whose wellbeing and access to primary medical care heavily relies on the services provided by the Teshie community clinic.

Ladies and gentlemen of the press, our gathering here has been informed by a letter dated 18th October and signed by the Health Minister Hon. Dr. Okoe Boye and addressed to the management of the Teshie community clinic, in order to get the citizens informed; I will pause here to read the letter in question;

The letter, as read, directs the management of the Teshie Community Clinic to relocate from its present premises with both staff, equipment and patients to a location not cited in the letter.

As residents and concerned stakeholders within this community, we have genuine issues with the said letter and the harm the directives from the Health Minister seeks to cause to our people and the health delivery system in Teshie Maamli and its environs who patronizes the services of the Teshie Community Clinic.

First and foremost, we want to place on record that the said directive was unilaterally taken by the Health Minister without engagement with the relevant stakeholders in the community and municipality: The Teshie Presbyterian Church who are the allodia owners of the land on which the clinic sits, the Teshie Mannoya Kpe who constructed the clinic , the current Member of Parliament, Traditional Authorities, Assembly Members and all relevant stakeholders who matters or may be affected by the relocation have not been engaged.

Secondly, the source of funding, the approving agency and scope of work for the said rehabilitation project is unknown to anyone except the Minister of Health, so we ask what happens to the project in case his Government loses the forthcoming elections in a few weeks’ time.

We also wish to place on record that all attempts to be directed to where the clinic is being relocated to and the state of preparedness of the place to perform same function it is undertaking at its present premises have proven futile hence a suspicion the said directive is shambolic and would not serve the interest of our people.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, we wish to emphasize that the decision to relocate the Teshie Community Clinic for a supposed rehabilitation work is borne out of bad faith for our people and intended to score cheap political points on the altar of the health of our people.

We want to ask why the current Health Minister. Dr. Okoe boye didn’t see the relevance of rehabilitating the clinic while serving as a Member of Parliament for the people of Teshie and Deputy Minister of Health but seeking to desperately use Machiavellian tactics by transferring staff of the clinic and seeking to close it under the guise of rehabilitation few weeks to elections?

As concerned residents and stakeholders within this constituency, we see this desperate move by the Health Minister as nothing but an orchestrated move to whitewash the positive impact the current Member of Parliament has made in the Health delivery system in the municipality.

We wish to assure the current Health Minister we shall not allow him to use the health of our people to play politics and thus would resist any attempt in that regard.

We know how the current Health Minister then as Deputy Minister of Health machinated to demolish the La General Hospital which has resulted in several loss of lives, livelihood and employment and would not sit down for the same fate to happen to our people.

Rees Nii Armah Quaye

Spokesperson