The 2023 Poppy Appeal has been launched during a Military Band Concert organised by the Veterans Administration, Ghana (VAG) at the Retired Commissioned Officers’ Clubhouse (RCOC), Ridge, on Friday, 13 October 2023.
The appeal was aimed at raising funds to furnish the VAG clinic at Amasaman. The clinic has a consulting room, a dispensary, officer's ward, female ward as well as nurses and staff changing room, was built with an internally generated fund.
The Minister for Health (MOH), Honourable (Hon) Kwaku Agyemang-Manu commended VAG for its efforts to renovate the clinic in order to take some of the workload off the 37 Military Hospital. He made a pledge to donate One Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH₵100,000.00) on behalf of the Ministry of Health and a personal pledge to donate Ten Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH₵10,000.00), making up a total amount of one hundred and ten thousand cedis (GH₵110,000.00) to support the initiative.
He further gave an assurance that VAG would be added to the list of organisations MOH assisted henceforth.
Executive Director VAG, Captain Edmund Ben Duah (Rtd), indicated that the Poppy Day was observed by many Commonwealth countries after World War I in 1919 to honour gallant Soldiers who died in the line of duty.
He acknowledged the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Ministry of Defence, and Faith Montessori, among others for their immense contributions to VAG.
During the ceremony, the Ghana Immigration Service, Ministry of Defence pledged to financially support the association. The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), Major General Thomas Oppong-Preprah, also pledged GH¢200,000 to be used for furniture.
