President Nana Akufo-Addo, has cut the sod for the commencement of work for the construction of the Nkoranza District Hospital.

Cutting the sod on Wednesday on day 2 of his working visit to the Bono East Region, the President noted that, “this project has been on the drawing board for a nearly a decade, and I am happy that it is under the presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that this project is about to see the light of day.”

He added that, it will contribute to addressing the persistent challenges of high maternal and child health morbidity and mortality in Nkoranza and its environs, as well as accelerate the country’s progress towards the achievement of the SDGs, through enhanced access to quality maternal and child health services.

“It will complement the services of the Mission Hospital, which is currently serving Nkoranza and its environs.

It will also ease considerably the pressure on the Holy Family Hospital at Techiman which, in a sense, is currently serving as the Regional Hospital in the Bono East Region,” he said.

The President continued, “In due course, and in line with Government’s policy of providing every new Region with its own hospital, Techiman and, indeed, the Bono East Region will soon see something very special.

Government will continue to sustain the agenda of building a robust, resilient and sustainable health care system for current and future generations.”

Akufo- Addo told the gathering that, through an ASHRA facility, with an ASHRA insurance premium of €20,339,000, an amount of €140 million has been secured for the construction of the Nkoranza District Hospital.

The €140 million will also be used for the construction of a 400-bed secondary level Hospital at Tema, an Accident and Emergency Department, and a ward at Dormaa Hospital; and for the reconstruction of the Central Medical Stores that got burnt in January 2015.

The construction of the Nkoranza Hospital is been undertaken by the Israeli company, Engineering Development Construction, a firm that is familiar with the Ghanaian terrain, having already constructed a number of facilities in the country.

The Nkoranza District Hospital will be fitted with the following outpatient department, including pharmacy and consulting rooms, public health department, medical administration, 100 beds in total for in-patient wards, 30 beds for other interventions requiring temporary stay, emergency department, obstetrics and gynaecology clinics, three operation theatres for general and specialised surgery, laboratory, blood bank and an imaging department for diagnostics, staff housing; and mortuary

President Akufo-Addo was expectant that the Ghana Health Service, which will be managing this ultra-modern health facility, will put in place measures to attract the requisite specialised health staff to come and work in the Region.

“Buildings and Medical Equipment alone do not deliver good healthcare, it is the people in charge who deliver the healthcare,” he stressed.

The President also urged all partners with a stake in the construction of the project to work assiduously, and ensure that the project is delivered on time and on budget, and that the Contractor employs indigenes during the construction period.

“Nananom, I am delighted and honoured by your presence here, and I assure all of you that this project is a sign of greater things to come for Nkoranza, and, indeed, for the whole nation.

Government’s commitment to the total development of Ghana is absolute,” he reassured.

In concluding, the President was hopeful that “by the grace of God, we are on the threshold of something remarkable in Ghana, and, hopefully, with four more for Nana and the NPP, I am hopeful that all of us, gathered here, will be present again, God-willing, for the commissioning of this project, once it is completed.”

Source: Myjoyonline.com