GTA distributes chocolates to children at Koforidua hospitals

This year’s National Chocolate Day celebrations in the Eastern Region took a different dimension with an emphasis on children rather than adults.

In view of that the regional office of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), last Friday distributed bars of chocolate to children on admission at the two leading hospitals in Koforidua - the Regional Hospital and the St Joseph Orthopaedic Hospital.

The National Chocolate Day, which is marked on February 14 every year, is to promote the consumption of chocolate which is shared among children and loved ones, particularly couples, to rekindle their love.

Infants on admission

However, this time around the regional office of the GTA decided to go to the two health facilities to distribute chocolate to the infants on admission as well as their mothers.

Distributing the chocolates to the children admitted at the Children's Ward of the Eastern Regional Hospital, the Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, said her outfit together with the GTA decided to show love and care to the children on admission and their mothers.

She indicated that as an educationist before venturing into politics, she was familiar with the needs of children, hence her decision to focus on children at this year’s Chocolate Day in the region.

The minister later told journalists that facilities at hospitals in the region that needed expansion would be tackled.

Apart from that, Mrs Awatey stated that the government would do its best to work on the ongoing construction of the new Eastern Regional Hospital.

Chocolate consumption

For her part, the Eastern Regional Director of the GTA, Dinah Adu-Owusu, said her outfit had shifted the attention of the youth from promiscuity normally associated with the Valentine’s Day celebration to the promotion of the consumption of chocolate and other cocoa-derived products for their health benefits, as well as promote domestic tourism.

She stated that the GTA which had its focus on the welfare of children, decided to distribute some cocoa products to the Pediatric Ward as a way of showing love to the children receiving health care at the hospitals.

Mrs Adu-Owusu said since mothers of children on admission were always worried, they had included them in the distribution to make them feel at home, adding, "We are also there for them."

The Administrator of the St Joseph Orthopaedic Hospital, Philemon Kofi Quansah, who was enthused about the distribution, on behalf of the hospital expressed sincere appreciation to the GTA for such a wonderful gesture.

He opined that the distribution of chocolate to the children would hasten the improvement of their health and enable them to be discharged within the next few days.

At the Regional Hospital, the Clinical Director and Senior Surgeon, Dr Foster Amponsah-Manu, expressed his appreciation to the GTA for remembering the kids on admission and their mothers.

He expressed the hope that the tenure of the new regional minister would see the completion of the construction of the new regional hospital.

Writer's email: haruna.wunpini@graphic.com.gh