The Government of Ghana will undertake a major investment in the country’s healthcare infrastructure with the construction of Eighty-eight (88) District Hospitals, the largest in the country’s history.
The construction of the hospitals which will begin this year will commence at 88 districts without hospitals—ten (10) in Ashanti, nine (9) in Volta, nine(9) in Central, Eight (8) in Eastern, Seven (7) in Greater Accra, and Seven (7) in Upper East,
The rest are; Five (5) in Northern, Five (5) in Oti, Five (5) in Upper West, Five (5) in Bono, Four (4) in Western North, Four (4) in Western, Three (3) in Ahafo, Three (3) in Savannah, Two (2) in Bono East and Two (2) in North East regions.
Each of the newly built hospitals will be a quality and a standardised designed One Hundred (100) bed capacity with accommodation for doctors, nurses and other health workers. It is expected to be completed within a year.
In his 8th address to the nation on the updates on enhanced measures of the Covid-19 pandemic on Sunday, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said Government has planned the construction of new regional hospitals in the six (6) newly created regions and, rehabilitate the AfiaNkwanta Hospital in Sekondi, the regional hospital of the Western Region.
He said just as the coronavirus had affected greatly the daily lives of Ghanaians, it has also exposed the deficiencies of the country’s health system of years of under-investment and neglect.
The Covid-19 has also exposed the unequal distribution of health facilities as the country tended to focus her abilities on infrastructure in Accra, and one or two in other big cities.
But as seen off late, President Akufo-Addo warned that epidemics and pandemics when emerged, can spread to every part of the country.
He said Government will also beef up existing laboratories and establish new once across every region for testing. “We will establish three (3) infections diseases control centres for each of the zones of the country—the Coastal, Middle and Northern Belts.”
With the overall objective of setting up Disease Control centre in every region, the President said, the recent tragic CSM outbreak in the northern part of the country, which has recorded over 40 deaths, had reaffirmed the need for ready access to such infection disease control centres.
Even though in this current dispensation, “no body should die of that disease, early reporting is what is required and I emplore everybody to heed this call”, he stated.
Imperatively, President my Akufo-Addo said, the investments made in the country’s healthcare system are not because it would be easy, but “because it is self evidently necessary to serve the needs of the 21 Century Ghana.”
“The three (3) Development Authorities—the Zongo Development Fund and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies will be tasked to place health infrastructure amongst the highest priorities in the coming years”’ he stated.
Soon, the President said, at the appropriate time, the exact volume of investments required will be duly and transparently laid out for public scrutiny and action.”
He said, it is obvious, side by side with the investment and physical infrastructure of the country’s public system that, “we will have to intensify our policy for the growth of the country’s domestic pharmaceutical industry so that we can generate our own medicines and medical supplies.”
“We should no longer be dependent on foreign inputs”, President Akufo-Addo confidently stated.
Further, the National Health Insurance Scheme, the President indicated, is currently in a stronger position as a result of the significant reduction in its standing arrears.
“It is my hope and expectation that this expanded and empowered public health system will be the most enduring legacy of the coronavirus pandemic,” said the President.
Universal health coverage in Ghana, President Akufo-Addo believes, will then become real and meaningful to every Ghanaian who deserves good health and good healthcare.
Whiles maternal, newborn and lesson health and nutrition remain the country’s priority “we must pay increased attention to chronic and non-communicable diseases such as Heart diseases, diabetes and asthma, which has proved to be the common risk factors for the 11 deaths the country had recorded from the coronavirus.”
More importantly, the President said, the coronavirus has also highlighted the need to address mental health issues in the crucial role of the emergency services to which the new fleet of ambulances and drones are responding.
“We must emphasis preventive and promotive aspects of health in addition to care for the sick”, he said.
Story filed by Bright Ntramah
