The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) has gauged the disastrous effects of the spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong dams on the Richard Novati Catholic Hospital (RNCH) and the Comboni Vocational Technical Institute (COMBOTEC), both at Sogakope in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region.
Speaking at the presentation of Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis (Ghc50,000.00) to the two affected institutions, the Bishop of the Keta-Akatsi Catholic Diocese, Most Rev. Gabriel Edo Kumordjie (SVD) called for support for the staff of the two facilities that have been affected by the floods at Sogakope.
The RNCH and COMBOTEC), were among the institutions that have not only been hardest hit by the recent spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong dams but also closed down due to the complete inundation of most of the structures and facilities of the two institutions.
At the RNCH, its morgue was forced to close down because of the high water levels, resulting in the complete evacuation and relocation of more than two hundred fifty (250) bodies or corpses to other sister facilities at Sogakope, Weme-Abor, Dzodze, and TagadzSeveralr of residential staff quarters of the hospital and the Comboni School were also inundated by the flood waters, displacing more than seventy-nine (79) staff of the hospital and some fifteen (15) teaching staff of COMBOTECH. COMBOTECH itself has not been spared at all. The entire institution, including its school park, has been at the mercy of the floods, forcing the closure of the school with more than two thousand (2,000) students sent home as a result of the situation. The facilities submerged in the floods included the recently completed ultra-modern or state-of-the-art technical workshop built by the government with donor support.
The presentation ceremony was attended by the Secretary General of the GCBC, Very Rev. Fr. Clement Adjei Esq, Director, Centre for Human Development of the National Catholic Secretariat (NCS), Accra, Very Rev. Fr. Edwin Terence Adzimah as well as the Director, Keta-Akatsi Catholic Diocesan Health Service, Rev. Fr. Lt. (Retd) Winfred Delali Kwadzo Sraha. Also present were the Matron and Human Resource Manager (HRM), respectively, of the RNCH, Ms. Helen Tettegah, and Mr. Nelson Kwasi Awudi.
Speaking at the event on behalf of the Conference, Bishop of the Keta-Akatsi Catholic Diocese, Most Rev. Gabriel Edo Kumordjie (SVD) described the effects of the spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong dams on its two major facilities in the South Tongu district as very disastrous, lamenting that since the incident happened, no major support in the area of relief items to the affected staff has been received.
He was also grateful to Caritas International, the humanitarian and developmental organization or the charity arm of the Catholic Church for its support so far.
Bishop Kumordjie noted that the impact of the spillage and its related or consequential issues have been great, adding that the only printing press attached to COMBOTECH and also located within its premises, has also been engulfed by the floods.
According to him, the floods would surely lead to serious cracks in the residential staff quarters of the nurses, a development that would affect the structural integrity of the buildings. The Bishop noted that this would call for serious costs not only in dealing with the situation but also in permanently relocating some of these staff to safer and higher grounds.
The Diocesan Health Director for the Keta-Akatsi Catholic Diocese, Rev. Fr. Lt. (Retd) Sraha was grateful to the Bishops’ Conference for the gesture and stressed the need for other bodies to follow suit.
He disclosed that management of the RNCH has been assessing the situation since the incident happened, adding that the hospital would soon open again to the general public when the situation completely normalizes.
Rev. Fr. Lt. Sraha later led the Bishop and his entourage to visit parts of the affected facilities including the staff quarters that the floods have hit.
