The Overlord of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional State, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, has cut the sod for the construction of the first-ever cancer treatment center solely dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of children with cancer in Africa.
The $250 million state-of-the-art facility, which is being initiated by the Wish4Life Foundation, is expected to be completed in 2026.
The project will help to overcome the existing healthcare disparity in survival by addressing the needs of children with cancer.
The centre will provide resources to advance infection control policies and procedures in compliance with international regulatory guidelines to minimize the risk of infection.
Addressing a gathering of health professionals and chiefs at Ofori Panin Fie in Kyebi after the sod-cutting ceremony, Okyenhene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin said the facility will go a long way to address the healthcare needs of rural folks.
“HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis have been contained in other countries, but are still here in Africa. People are dying of malaria today, and if you look at what humanity has been able to do. No child should have to die of malaria anywhere. This facility is nothing that we have ever seen before, but we have to understand that buildings, state-of-the-art equipment, computers, and large equipment do not fix human lives, people do. We still need people who are committed to the well-being of humanity. If we don’t have the doctors who are committed to the work regardless. It’s sad children born die because they don’t have access to equipment,” he said.
The founder of the Wish4Life Foundation, Dr. Tanya Trippett, said the geographical location of the birth of a child must not deny them access to qualifying medical care, stressing that the center will be a model facility for the treatment of cancer in Africa.
In a related development, the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council and the Ghana National Petroleum Commission (GNPC) Foundation have cut the sod for the construction of a Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound for the people of Kyebi Ahwanese in the Abuakwa South Municipality of the Eastern Region.
The project, which is expected to be completed in six months, will come as a relief to residents, especially pregnant women who are often transported on motorbikes and tricycles deep in the night when they are due for labor.
The Chief of Kyebi Ahwanese, Barima Gyansi Koree I, expressed appreciation to the GNPC and indicated the community’s support.
