By: Jones Anlimah
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has donated a wide range of medical laboratory equipment to the Wusuta Health Centre in the North Dayi District of the Volta Region.
The donation, valued at millions of Ghana cedis, underscores the church’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of communities. The donated equipment includes essential medical devices such as a semi-automated chemistry analyzer, drying racks, ESR tubes, chemical weight balance, automated pipettes, phlebotomy seats, and a digital timer.
Other items include tally counters, an arterial blood gas analyzer, a digital weighing scale, a water bath, an electrophoresis machine, and a microscope, among others. Speaking at a brief ceremony to hand over the items, the Acting District Director of Health for North Dayi, Mr. David Tekpor-Owusu, expressed gratitude to the church for the gesture and highlighted how the donation would improve the health centre’s capacity to deliver timely and accurate diagnostics.
“With the presence of the laboratory, we can now have an upgrade, and very soon, Wusuta will officially become a recognized health centre. We are not stopping there—we aim to progress to polyclinic status. The presence of the laboratory will help us tremendously,” he remarked.
The paramount chief of the Wusuta Traditional Area, Togbega Osei Tutu Brempong, expressed his profound gratitude to the church for the gesture and called on other organizations to emulate such acts of kindness.
“We are very pleased with what we have received because many hospitals in other areas lack such equipment. We are so happy. What we need to focus on now is security. We will form a committee to ensure that nobody tampers with the equipment,” Togbe noted.
He added, “The workers here should also take their duties seriously and handle the machines properly. Maintenance is very important so that the machines can last longer.”
The District President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ho, Ghana District, Benjamin Ofori, stated that the donation was in line with the church’s global humanitarian initiatives aimed at supporting communities in need.
“The charity organization of the church did not treat this lightly but as part of its social responsibility to help people of all kinds, regardless of denomination. The church took this seriously and acted upon it,” Mr. Ofori said.
He reiterated the church’s dedication to improving the health and wellbeing of people, regardless of their faith. “Those using the equipment must do so with accountability, so that when we check back, they can show what has been achieved. We will also assess how well the equipment has been maintained before providing further support,” Mr. Ofori added.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for North Dayi, Edmund Kudjoh Attah, expressed appreciation for the donation and emphasized its importance to the district’s healthcare systems. He also highlighted the role of partnerships between the government, religious organizations, and communities in driving development.
“…to have a day like this where, out of your benevolence and perhaps learning so much from the Bible, you are giving to the poor, to the vulnerable, and saving lives. God bless you so much. And also, we must ensure that the culture of maintenance is strictly adhered to so that these donors will not regret giving us these machines,” the DCE said.
The donated equipment is expected to drastically reduce delays in diagnosis and treatment, making the Wusuta Health Centre a more efficient healthcare provider.