Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu
By Mudasiru Abdul Yakeen
The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, has disclosed that the health sector has made significant progress in addressing the infrastructural gap that was overlooked by the previous John Mahama government.
According to the Minister, government, since 2017, has completed works on a number of health facilities, saying this has helped in to broaden the scope of the health sector intake. The completed works, he said, are 10 polyclinics in the Central Region and five in the Greater Accra; completion of the Upper West Regional Hospital and Ga East District Hospital.
The Minister, who was speaking at a sod cutting ceremony in Koforidua for the construction of a 600-bed regional hospital on Wednesday, added that other health infrastructure at Somanya, in the Eastern Region, Weta, in Volta Region, Akaba, Dupe, Kolon, Bekwai, Tepa, Nsawkaw and Twifo Praso hospitals are due to be completed by October 2020.
Universal health coverage
He noted that the construction of the new regional hospital is in fulfillment of government’s commitment to ensuring universal health coverage to all citizens in Ghana. He added that it is also in line with the government’s vision under the sustainable development goal to address the infrastructural deficit of the health sector.
The Minister mentioned other projects that are set to begin this year. They include the construction and equipping of 12-unit maternity block at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, La General Hospital and a sub-regional hospital at Tema. Others are the reconstruction of the Central Medical Store; construction of trauma hospitals in Anyinam and Obuasi; refurbishment and re-equipping of Enyiresi and Obuasi hospitals; construction of accident and emergency centre at Dormaa Hospital and Nkoranza District Hospital.
Mr Agyeman-Manu added that the construction of five health facilities in the Western and Western-North regions – at Akontomra, Elubo, Bogoso, Tarkwa-Nsuaem, Wasa Tarkwa – and the upgrade of the Mpohor health facility are also ongoing.
He added that progress is being made on the construction of 15 CHPS compounds and another 26 in the Bono, Central, Eastern, Ashanti, Western-North, Greater Accra and Volta regions.
