By Joyce Kantam Kolamong
An ultramodern Orthopaedic Training Centre (OTC), has been inaugurated at Walewale in the West Mamprusi Municipality of the North East Region.
The edifice will cater for persons with all forms of physical disabilities and deformities of bones or muscles in the Northern part of Ghana, who, hitherto, will have to travel to Nsawam in the Eastern region to seek specialist care. Through the effort of the leadership of Nsawam OTC in partnership with the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) of the Catholic Church, patients particularly children, can receive the care they need to develop into individuals who can take their proper place in society.
The Walewale Orthopedic Training Centre becomes the first satellite branch of Nsawam OTC in the Eastern region, whose mission is to enable the handicapped in Ghana, mainly children, to gain independent and productive lives. The Walewale branch consists of an orthopedic clinic and workshop complex where artificial limbs and legs, brace, clutches, shoes and splint will be manufactured, POP measurement rooms, lamination rooms, and five fitting rooms. The rest are children’s department, OPD, Consulting rooms, account office, and records office, among others.
Once upon a time, extending OTC services beyond Nsawam was a dream of Brother Tarcisius Cristophorus, an SVD, and Founder of OTC, Nsawam. When talking about Social Intervention Programmes for Northern Ghana, OTC truly comes across as a model for the future. The new edifice stands as an answered prayer for patients from Tamale, Wa, Bolgatanga, Nakpanduri, Nalerigu, Bunkpurugu, and beyond who previously would have had to commute to Nsawam or meet OTC mobile units at established stations in the quest to access healthcare.
The extra financial burden incurred in terms of transportation and accommodation to access OTC services has been lifted off the shoulders of people now. The inauguration coincided with the celebration of St. Arnold Janssen, an SVD, and the 10th anniversary of the demise of Brother Tarcisius Cristophorus, the founder.
The Assistant Manager at Nsawam OTC, Raphael Amuzu Dmameshie, who is expected to manage the Walewale branch, expressed gratitude to all staff who accompanied him to start full operation. He called for the cooperation of all as they begin to serve those in need.
The Managing Director at the Nsawam OTC, Rev. Sis. Elizabeth Newman, commended the immense support of the Swiss Family Foundation and all those who made the inauguration possible. She said the management of OTC continued to nurture the dream of Brother Tarcisius, that one day an orthopedic centre would be opened in the North to offer services to people in Northern Ghana.
The Provincial Superior of the Society of the Devine Word, Fr. Cyprian Kuupol, said the Catholic Church will continue to offer quality healthcare to the vulnerable. He called on the government and benevolent organisations to include Walewale OTC in their budget. Fr. Kuupol charged the staff of the centre to serve with dedication, commitment, and compassion.
The Municipal Chief Executive for West Mamprusi Municipality, Issahak Aremeyaw Basintale, called on management to pay attention to the training of local content to ensure its sustainability.
Traditional authorities in the area were grateful to the leadership of the Nsawam OTC for bringing healthcare closer to the doorsteps of the people of the North.
