The ambassador of the United States to Ghana Madam Stephanie Sullivan, on Tuesday handed over two fully equipped state of the art African Peacekeeping Rapid Response Partnership (APRRP) United Nations Level II Deployable Hospitals to the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
The event which took place at the 37 military hospital in Accra saw high ranked army officials and doctors of the military hospital gracing the occasion.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister for Defence, Hon. Dominic Nitiwul said the Medical component of the African Peacekeeping Rapid Response Programme is designed to enable the Ghana Armed Forces to rapidly deploy, and operate a UN-standard Level Two Hospital should anything that would threaten regional stability happen. The programme in general is aimed at building sustainable capabilities and capacity in selected African partner nations, or other developing crisis.
He added that the component included a training facility, and equipment; he described medical facilities as state of the art United Nations Level II Hospitals to Ghana Armed Forces.
“The facilities cost 4 Million US Dollars and that the training aspect was one of the most practical deployment experience acquisition mechanism the Ghana Armed Forces Medical personnel ever had. Hon. Dominic Nitiwul added.
To this point, he said the partnership between the two countries had provided the Ghana Armed Forces the opportunity to tap into the many years of deployment experience in the medical side, planning, field sanitation, vendor training, and advance trauma life support.
He said one of the hospitals was for the provision of continuous training for the Armed Forces Medical Service personnel when preparing to deploy for mission, and the other was for immediate deployment on United Nations Mission as and when required.
Aside, he said some 50 Armed Forces Personnel had been trained as trainers of trainees by the US facilitators.
“I am aware that clinical ultrasound, medical modelling and simulation, International Trauma life support, Trauma nursing, and Field Sanitation workshops are also scheduled to be conducted this year”. The Minister of Defence stated.
The US Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie Sullivan commended the Ghana Armed Forces in the basis that it has earned global respect for its six decades of United Nations Peacekeeping operations, its military professionalism upholding democratic values, and its dedication to partnering in joint military programs, with the armed forces of many nations including the United States.
She noted that the two countries were close partners in addressing regional, and international security crisis.
To this end, she said the two had cooperated on numerous joint training exercises designed to increase the effectiveness of security forces’ ability to respond to international threats such as trafficking in persons or drugs, terrorism, and regional and International instability.
She said through APRRP, the US had invested in capacity of Ghana, and five other countries that had proven themselves leaders in peacekeeping, and that Ghana had successfully demonstrated its commitment and capacity to lead the charge in the field.
“The hospitals valued 6.5 Million US Dollar”. The ambassador said.
Brigadier General Nii Adjah Obodai, Commander, 37 Military Hospital said APRRP’s overall aim was to help GAF MED to institutionalize some specific programmes and open up training sessions to qualify medics in Ghana and the sub-region.
In attendance at the event was Lieutenant General Obed Boamah Akwa, the Chief of Defence Staff of GAF.
Credit: Nii Okpoti Odamtten
