The Agenda 111 District Hospital at Kpassa in the Nkwanta-North District in the Oti Region will be completed and ready for use by January, 2024.

The 60-bed capacity project, which started in August, 2022, is currently about 30.8 per cent complete.

When operational, it would serve more than 120,000 residents of the district and surrounding areas.

This came to light when the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, and the Presidential Advisor on Health at the Office of the President, Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, visited the project site yesterday.

Present at the event was the Oti Regional Minister, Joshua Gmayenam Makubu, and the Project Consultant, Paul Osei.

Assurance

Mr Oppong-Nkrumah said the needed funding had been secured for the project to be completed as scheduled.

He said the Agenda 111 projects were being given priority by the government and that 88 of the hospitals which were at various stages of completion across the country would all be completed on schedule.

Among components of the hospitals are accident centres and mortuaries.

The facilities would also become mini hubs for the training of nursing students.

The minister said although some of them had suffered initial challenges, including difficulty in land acquisition, the government was committed to completing them.

He assured residents of Kpassa that discussions were ongoing with the Ministry of Roads and Highways to improve upon the condition of roads in the area to ensure easy access to the hospital, adding that the facility would also enjoy uninterrupted power supply when completed.

Attainment of SDG

Dr Nsiah-Asare also said that the construction of the hospital was in line with the UN sustainable development goal (SDG) Three.

“There is wealth in health and this hospital will create a strong socio-economic environment in the district,” he said, adding that more than 300 workers would be employed to work in the facility upon completion.

Currently, the Nkwanta-North District has no public hospital, a development that compels residents to travel long distances on deplorable roads to access health care, leading to the loss of lives sometimes.

The existing health centres and Community Health-Based Planning Services (CHPS) compounds in some parts of the district are not also well resourced and equipped to cater for some diseases.  

Dr Nsiah-Asare entreated the chiefs to allocate more lands for the construction of accommodation facilities for staff of the hospital upon completion. 

Appreciation

The Chief of Kpassa, Ubor Konja Tassan XI, expressed appreciation to the government for the project.

He gave an assurance that residents would give the necessary support to the contractor to execute the project to specification.

Ubor Konja, however, appealed to the government to ensure funds were readily available to ensure the project was not stalled.

SOURCE: GraphicOnline