Princess Marie Louis Hospital fetes children

THE Board Chairman of the Princess Marie Louis Children’s Hospital in Accra, Rev. Father Andrew Campbell, has called on the government to support the hospital with equipment to furnish its new block which is under construction.
He said the new block, which is scheduled for completion in early 2011, was to replace the old block which he described as lacking enough space to accommodate the increasing number of patients.
Father Campbell, who made the call when the hospital held its annual Children’s Christmas party in Accra, lamented that the hospital that served as the only children health-care institution in the country seemed to have been neglected by previous governments and described the situation as inimical to the well-being of the children.
Enumerating some problems confronting the hospital, he stated that the only available ambulance for the hospital was donated to the facility by some Italian benefactors 18 years ago and pointed out that the hospital was currently in dire need of an ambulance and furniture to enhance its operations.
He said the hospital attended to more than 200 children daily and that called for more facilities, particularly furniture, for its out patients.
In his Christmas message to Ghanaians, Father Campbell said just like Jesus Christ, the festive season was as a period for Christians to share what they had with the less privileged in the society, stressing that that was the time to show love for the sick, the homeless and the poor.
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu, who was the guest of honour, pledged the government’s support to ensure that an ambulance was provided for the hospital.
To that end, she said, the government had signed a credit loan agreement with an international organisation for the supply of 350 ambulances to health institutions in the country and gave the assurance that the Princess Marie Louis Hospital would benefit from the facility.
She said the government was committed to addressing the challenges in health delivery in the country and the problems of the Children’s Hospital was no exception.
Mrs Mould-Iddrisu and Father Campbell later presented gifts to the children as they were treated to Christmas carols by the Derby Avenue and the SDA School choirs.