The Dunkwa Kyekyewere Health Center in Ghana was built in 1974 and comprises the following medical departments and health services: prenatal care, paediatric clinic, ultrasound examinations, laboratory, outpatient and inpatient care as well as patient monitoring. In addition, the clinic focuses on reproductive child health. According to the International Conference on Population and Development, this means “a state of unrestricted physical, mental and social well-being in all areas of reproductive life”.
By the way: Kyekyewere translates to “Consider your soul” (according to a Ghanaian friend of the author) . The health centre is located about 20 kilometres south of Kumasi in the Upper Denkyira Municipal. Another 29 communities surround the village. A total of about 15,000 people live there, of which more than 6,000 live in Dunkwa Kyekyewere alone. The Kyekyewere Health Centre is the only health care facility in the area and faces such a high volume of patients that medical care for all is no longer guaranteed.
The clinic had only one, very small room for inpatients. Meaning, that women, children and men had to inevitably be accommodated in the same space. In addition, there was a lack of essential equipment that would ensure a smooth daily routine at the clinic. Furthermore, there were not enough staff at the time the project started in 2018, partly because there were no staff quarters at Kyekyewere Health Centre in Ghana.
Project Objective Kyekyewere Health Center in Ghana:
The project was to be implemented in four phases with the help of our partner, the Madamfo Ghana Association. The Dunkwa Kyekyewere Health Center in Ghana was to be expanded with a women’s and men’s ward (2018/2019), additional beds for the Reproductive Child Health Clinic/ Children’s Hospital (2020) and staff accommodation (2021). The clinic was also be equipped with much needed hospital equipment (2018-2021).
Project Implementation:
The Planners Divided the Project into Four Phases:
In Phase I, the Kyekyere Health Center in Ghana was to be expanded to include a separate men’s and women’s ward. Phase I was successfully completed in April 2019 with the funds being provided by GTP Schäfer.
In Phase II of the project, additional beds were to be purchased for the two functional areas ‘Reproductive Child Health’ and ‘Paediatric Clinic’. Phase II was realised in July 2021 with the costs also being covered by GTP Schäfer.
In Phase III, with GTP Schäfer as the sole builder, a separate building was constructed for staff accommodation which did not exist previously.
Phase IV was used to provide the health centre with urgently needed equipment: Warming beds for newborns, wheelchairs, stretchers, benches, beds, ultrasound equipment, microscopes, refrigerators and much more. The sum for Phase IV was donated by GTP Schäfer.
In May 2023, the Kyekyewere Health Center was officially inaugurated and handed over to the community.
At the beginning of 2024, we continued the project by renovating the nurses’ dormitory at the Kyekyewere Health Center, which had become uninhabitable.
The building was given a new roof, the interiors received new ceilings, electrical wiring was then laid and urgently needed plumbing work was carried out.
The renovation work was successfully completed in July 2024: The building was replastered and repainted, windows and doors were replaced or repaired and the sanitary areas were tiled.
The building is now being used again to accommodate clinic staff, which is a great asset for the Kyekyewere Health Center and will significantly improve the day-to-day running of the clinic.
The total costs amount to around 240,000 euros (as of July 2024).
With this project, we are happy to be able to help people who lack the most basic necessities – such as food and medical care.
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