The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur has commended the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembelle, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah for his readiness to champion the cause of the vulnerable in his constituency.
She noted that the elderly are marginalised and treated with contempt by society and welcomed Mr Buah's vision to reverse the trend and cater for their interests.
Nana Oye Lithur made the commendation as the guest speaker at an official ceremony to inaugurate the AYA Community Centre at Ambainu in the Ellembelle District.
The centre, which had already registered 200 old men and women, with additional 75 on was built by Mr Buah and named after his mother.
Nana Oye Lithur said the centre is a novel and complements the vision of government to support the elderly.
She said government was solidly behind the project and would put in place legal framework for the centre.
She said the Mahama-led administration has set up an advisory council for the aged with 4,200 of them registered free of charge under the National Health Insurance Scheme.
The Minister said the elderly would be given priority at public places and their interests would be the highest priority.
On behalf of President Mahama, Nana Oye Lithur presented assorted items to the aged and children.
The Chinese Ambassador, Ms Sun Baohong who was the guest of honour, lauded the initiative of Mr Buah to promote the well-being of the elderly.
She reiterated that the relations between Ghana and China would grow in the spirit of South-South co-operation.
She said China would continue to be one of the largest trade partners of Ghana.
Ms Sun said more than 3,000 Ghanaians are on scholarships in China to bring their expertise to bear on the development of Ghana.
She donated two television sets to the centre.
Mr Buah said his vision to establish an elderly care centre was borne out of reports from the mobile clinic operations where it was detected that most vulnerable people within the constituency could not access health care facilities.
He said it is about time leaders ensure the safety and security of the elderly and tap their expertise to advance the cause of mankind.
Mr Buah said he named the centre after her mother because she represents hardwork and dedication.
A group of aged people presented a live sheep and assorted items to Mr Buah for his sterling leadership as MP for Ellembelle.
The Paramount Chief of Eastern Nzema Traditional Council, Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli said Mr Buah is a beacon of hope and symbol of unity to Nzemaland.
He said his initiative is a shining example to the nation and asked Ghanaians to stop complaining and think about what they could do for the nation.
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