Member of Parliament for Ketu South and Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has openly declared how she redirected a GH₵90,000.00 donation from the National Lottery Authority (NLA) to fund a life-saving health project in the Anoenu Community under the Avoeme-Akporkploe Electoral Area of the Ketu South Municipality.
The funds, presented by NLA Director-General Samuel Awuku, were originally allocated for the construction of a 20-seater water closet (WC) public toilet facility. However, after careful consultation and assessment of the community’s urgent healthcare challenges, Hon. Gomashie decided to channel the money toward completing critical health infrastructure at the Anoenu Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound.
“When lives are at stake, priorities must change,” she declared. “The National Lotto Act, 2006 (Act 722) empowers the NLA to support the needy and the vulnerable. What better way to use that support than to save mothers and babies who were dying due to lack of a proper maternity facility?”
Heartfelt Intervention to Save Lives
Before the MP’s intervention, the Anoenu CHPS zone operated under dire conditions — no maternity or delivery room, no washroom, no potable water, and no proper record-keeping office. Expectant mothers in labor had to travel long distances on bad roads to access care at the Ketu South Municipal Hospital or the Aflao Health Centre, often at the risk of their own lives and that of their unborn babies.
Community reports revealed that several women and newborns had lost their lives over the past few years because of delayed transportation and inaccessible health services, especially during heavy rains when roads become impassable.
“We have carried pregnant women on motorbikes and even on doors in the middle of the night just to reach the hospital,” one community elder painfully recounted. “Some never made it” cry from Anoenu
What the MP’s Intervention Delivered
With the GH₵90,000 NLA donation, Hon. Gomashie facilitated the construction of a fully equipped maternity hall (labor ward) and two adjoining rooms now serving as a mini Outpatient Department (OPD) and a records office for the CHPS compound.
She also provided a mechanized borehole with a deep-well pumping system, a concrete-sealed cover to prevent theft, and a poly tank to ensure a steady water supply for the facility. In addition, a modern washroom was constructed, and the CHPS zone received essential health consumables and equipment to enhance service delivery.
“This project is not just a building; it is a declaration that the people of Anoenu deserve to live,” Hon. Gomashie said emotionally. “As a mother and as a representative of the people, I could not stand by while women gave birth on dirt floors or lost their lives because of a lack of basic health care.”
Why Anoenu Needed Urgent Help
The Anoenu community, like many others in rural Ketu South, is plagued by poor road networks, limited transportation, and inadequate access to emergency care. With the nearest municipal health center over 10 kilometers away, residents struggled daily to access medical attention, especially during emergencies.
The lack of healthcare infrastructure had led to avoidable maternal deaths, newborn mortality, and complications from delayed care. The MP said these heart-wrenching realities informed her decision to act swiftly and use the NLA support to “intervene where life was literally hanging by a thread.”
Call for Empathy and Accountability
Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie’s decision has drawn praise from health officials, traditional leaders, and community members, who described the project as a miracle for the people of Anoenu. Many said the MP’s action reflects true leadership guided by compassion and common sense, rather than politics or protocol.
“The law allows the NLA to support the vulnerable, and that’s exactly what she did,” said one nurse at the CHPS compound. “Now we can deliver babies safely, keep proper records, and attend to emergencies with dignity.”
In concluding her nationwide declaration, the MP stated:
“Leadership is not about cutting ribbons — it’s about saving lives. I thank the NLA, Mr. Samuel Awuku, and all those who made this possible. Anoenu is now breathing again.”
A Model of Purposeful Use of Public Funds
The Anoenu CHPS project now stands as a symbol of purposeful and compassionate governance, demonstrating how thoughtful reallocation of resources can transform communities and preserve human lives.
Across Ghana, many are calling Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie’s initiative a model of transparency and people-centered leadership, reminding all public officers that the true measure of development is not in projects completed, but in lives saved.
Source Hebrews Pouyeli Kumako ll News Volta
