The government has committed GH¢400,000 to refurbish the Bekwai Central Destitute Infirmary in the Ashanti Region, as announced by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Ms. Dakoa Newman.
The Minister made this announcement during her two-day working visit to the Ashanti Region, emphasizing the urgent need to upgrade the facility.
“The good part is that the government has provided an amount of money to ensure that renovations are done to upgrade the state of this destitute infirmary,” Ms. Newman stated during her inspection of the infirmary, which currently accommodates 41 inmates.
She highlighted the necessity of improving the infrastructure to enhance the comfort and safety of the elderly and persons with disabilities residing there.
“We identified some challenges that have to do with infrastructure, basic needs, as well as fencing the facility to protect our aged and destitute here, which we are going to work on,” the Minister assured.
She also mentioned that a technical team from the Department of Social Welfare would visit the infirmary to assess the situation and provide recommendations for the renovation.
Ms. Newman further assured that her Ministry would seek additional funding to construct a protective wall around the infirmary to safeguard the inmates and the facility’s grounds.
Earlier in her visit, the Minister monitored the disbursement of benefits under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program at Atonsu and Sabin Akrofuom.
Currently, over 25,000 households in the Ashanti Region benefit from the LEAP program, which has seen a 100 percent increase in beneficiaries within a year.
Ms. Newman observed the payment process and interacted with beneficiaries at both centers, ensuring they received the correct amounts. She expressed satisfaction with the process and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting the aged and vulnerable in society.
“The monitoring is largely successful, and we are happy to know that the people appreciate the 100 percent increase which is making a big difference in their lives,” she noted.
She reiterated the government’s dedication to sustaining programs like LEAP to positively impact the lives of vulnerable Ghanaians.
“The government is committed to continue to ensure that these programs are sustained to impact the lives of the vulnerable in Ghana,” she stated.
Rev. Dr. Mrs. Comfort Asare, Acting Director of the Department of Social Welfare, stressed the need for increased funding to better cater to the infirmary’s inmates and highlighted the importance of upgrading the facility. She also called for the recruitment of more caregivers to improve the quality of care provided.