The government has earmarked GHS400,000.00 for the refurbishment of the Bekwai Central Destitute Infirmary in the Ashanti Region, Ms Dakoa Newman, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, has announced. 'The good part is that the government has provided an amount of money to ensure that renovations are done to upgrade the state of this destitute infirmary,' she stated, when she inspected the facility as part of her two-day working visit to the Ashanti Region. After inspecting facilities at the Infirmary which currently houses 41 inmates, the Minister was certain that there was an urgent need to give the place a facelift to bring some comfort to inmates who are mostly aged and persons with disabilities. 'We identified some challenges that has to do with infrastructure, basic needs as well as fencing the facility to protect our aged and destitute here which we are going to work on,' the Minister assured. She said a technical team from the Department of Social Welfare would immediately visit the facility to assess the situation and advise how the renovation should be done. Ms Newman further gave the assurance that her Ministry would make a case for additional funding for the construction of a wall to protect the inmates and the lands of the infirmary. Prior to the Minister's visit to the Bekwai Central Destitute Infirmary, she monitored the payments of beneficiaries of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) at Atonsu and Sabin Akrofuom. Over 25,000 households in the Ashanti Region are currently benefiting from the LEAP programme, which had seen a 100 per cent increase within one year. The Minister observed the process for payments and interacted with the beneficiaries at both centers to ensure they receive the right amounts they were entitled to. She expressed satisfaction about the process and assured the beneficiaries of government's commitment to protect the aged and vulnerable in society. 'The monitoring is largely successful, and we are happy to know that the people apprecia te the 100 per cent increase which is making a big difference in their lives,' she noted. She further stated that, 'The government is committed to continue to ensure that these programmes are sustained to impact the lives of the vulnerable in Ghana.' The LEAP programme, she argued, had been successful, saying that it had impacted the lives of the extreme poor across the country. Rev. Dr. Mrs. Comfort Asare, Acting Director, Department of Social Welfare, underlined the need for increased funding to cater for the inmates, while stressing the urgency to upgrade the facility. She said most of the caregivers at the facility were volunteers and made a case for them to be recruited to get the best out of them in terms of their commitment to duty. Source: Ghana News Agency