By: Razak Baba
The Ashanti Regional Hospital located at Sawua in the Bosomtwe District is expected to be inaugurated in September.
Health Minister, Mr. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has assured that efforts are being made to get the Ministries of Roads and Highways and Energy to urgently construct the hospital’s access road and connect the facility to the National Grid before the inauguration.
He said this during a tour of the project.
The 250-bed Ashanti Regional Hospital at Sawua in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti Region is one of the health facilities being undertaken by Euroget De-Invest across the region to ease congestion at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, while ensuring accessibility to healthcare delivery.
The Health Minister, Mr. Kwaku Agyemang Manu was accompanied on the inspection tour of the soon-to-be inaugurated facility by officials of Euroget De-Invest.
The hospital is fully equipped with an intensive care unit, surgery rooms, delivery suites, gynaecology ward and a medical gas plant for the production of medical gas. However poor access road and the absence of power from non-back up sources delayed the formal handing over of the facility and it’s subsequent inauguration.
Health Minister, Mr. Agyemang Manu said the Ministries of Energy and Roads and Highways are being engaged to fix the 1.2 kilometre access road and connect the facility to the National Grid before the inauguration of the hospital in September.
The Health Minister, Mr. Kweku Agyemang Manu and his entourage paid a courtesy call on the Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah to discuss issues centered on improvement in healthcare delivery in the region.
He continued to assess progress of work on new health facilities including Ashanti Regional Hospital and Infectious Diseases Centre both at Sawua ready to be commissioned by September.
Poor road network and electricity have delayed the commissioning of the 250-bed Sawua Regional Hospital.
Although the hospital is completed and ready to be operationalized, the road leading to facility is yet to be constructed.
The 250-bed Ashanti Regional Hospital was constructed by Messrs Euroget De-Invest.
The hospital also has a medical gas plant for the production of medical gases.
The hospital is expected to serve as a regional hospital for Ashanti region and ease pressure on the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
Facilities at the hospital include 10 theatres, Intensive Care Unit, delivery suites, specialist clinics among others. The hospital also has a medical gas plant for the production of medical gases.
Although the Hospital is fully completed and furnished with the equipment and machines, the hospital is yet to be commissioned and operationalized due to the poor road leading to the Hospital and connecting the facility to the national grid.
The Minister also inspected work on the Infectious Disease Centre also at Sawua being constructed by the Government as part of the country’s preparedness for future pandemics.
It is being financed with funds donated by the World Bank during the peak of COVID-19.
The Minister was informed that the project is 95 per cent complete and assured that it will be completed in time for inauguration and operationalization in September.
Mr Agyemang Manu said the Centre was strategically built within the premises of the Regional Hospital due to availability of land as well as specialized skills needed to run the facility.
He said 12 of such facilities are being built across the country to strengthen Ghana’s preparedness to contain infectious diseases.
Mr. Agyemang Manu also inspected work on the 120-bed Kumawu Government Hospital. The project was scheduled for completion in 2017, but work stalled for a value for money audit.
Work on the project has resumed and expected to be completed in February 2023.
