President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday commissioned the 85-bed Central Gonja district hospital, located in Buipe, in the Savannah Region, at the start of his 2-day tour of the Region
The Buipe hospital, whose construction commenced in 2018, is one of six medical installations for which Government secured an 80-million-euro facility from Raiffesen Bank of Austria.
The hospital, together with five others in Somanya, Sawla, Bamboi, Tolon and Ketu North, was constructed by Vamed Engineering GmbH of Austria. President Akufo-Addo, on October 20, 2020, commissioned the 60-bed ultra-modern hospital for Weta, in the Ketu North district.
The 85-bed Buipe hospital is fitted with an Out-Patient Department, Radiology unit, Laboratory, Pharmacy, Dental Unit, male and female wards, as well as paediatric and maternity units.
Health needs
Prior to the construction of the hospital, residents of Buipe had to rely on the Teaching Hospital at Tamale or the Holy Family Hospital in Techiman. Considering the distances to be travelled from Buipe to Tamale or to Techiman, it had become imperative for Government to construct a health facility in Buipe to take care of the health needs of the people of the Central Gonja district.
The President is hopeful that the hospital will help improve the health needs of the people of the district.
Indeed, in addition to the newly constructed Buipe District Hospital, President Akufo-Addo also revealed that Government had constructed health facilities in Mpaha, Digma and Tosinape and Kigberipe, all in the Central Gonja district.
2020 elections
Earlier in the day, the President paid a courtesy call on the Overlord of Gonja, the Yagbonwura, Tutumba Boresa Sulemana Jakpa, to thank him and the region for the support offered the New Patriotic Party in the 2020 elections.
Touching on the request for potable drinking water made by the Yagbonwura, President Akufo-Addo indicated that he had already cut sod for the construction of the Damongo Water Supply to address the problem.
He explained that COVID-19 had delayed the implementation of the project, “but I am happy to inform you that by the first week of August the contractor will be moving to site to begin work.”
Reiterating his commitment to construct some 1,500 kilometres of asphalt roads in 2021, he assured the Yagbonwura that the Savannah Region would be a beneficiary of this project, and re-assured the Overlord of Gonja that the construction of the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs would also commence in earnest.
New RCC building
President Akufo-Addo also visited the site of the construction of a new 3-storey Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) administration block for the Savannah Region, located at Damongo.
The RCC building is currently 70 per cent complete, with concrete works, blockwork, plastering works, roofing, door frame, electrical pipework and cabling and plumbing pipework all completed.
Indeed, in line with directives of the President to ensure a spatial allocation of state institutions in the newly created regions, a 2-storey administration block for regional education directorate is also being constructed at Damongo, a 2-storey administration block for the regional health directorate at Daboya, a 2-storey administration block for the regional agric directorate at Bole, and a 2-storey administration block for the regional Feeder Roads Department at Salaga.
