Akufo-Addo Commissions 160-Bed Twifo Atti-Morkwa District Hospital
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday commissioned the 160-bed Twifo Atti-Morkwa District Hospital in the Central Region to aid quality healthcare delivery.
The ultra-modern Hospital has state-of-the-art facilities and expected to serve more than 30,000 people in the district and its adjoining communities to enhance access to reliable health services.
It was financed by Euroget-De Invest (EDI), a Turkey-based company, which signed an agreement with the ministries of Health and Interior in 2010 to source for funds to initially build eight hospitals in the country.
The facility comes with a mini-market, laundry and kitchen services, dining hall and a housing block for lactating mothers.
All these are part of the standard complimentary facilities that included two high-tech power plants to ensure uninterrupted power supply, an ambulance station for emergency services, treatment plants for sewage and medical waste, and water treatment and supply system.
It has an Administration Block, Out-Patients Department, Physiotherapy Unit, Radiology Laboratory, Medical Justice Production Unit, Maternal and Children’s Health Centre, Mortuary, Staff dining hall, maintenance department, power station and 20 staff housing unit.
It is one of nine hospital projects to be constructed in different parts of the country with funds from credit arranged by EDI through the international money market and secured by the Government.
Commissioning the project, President Akufo-Addo said the facility was part of the broader objective of providing infrastructure for the delivery of effective healthcare to the citizenry.
The project, initiated by former President John Agyekum Kufuor in 2008, was part of the ‘Ghana Hospitals Project’ and the fifth to be commissioned across the country, he said.
It followed the opening of the Upper West Regional Hospital, the Ahafo Ano Municipal Hospital, and the Ga East Municipal Hospital, which served as one of the country’s major Covid-19 treatment centres.
The “Ghana Hospital Project” involves the design, construction and equipping of one Military Hospital, two Regional Hospitals and six District Hospitals at a cost of US$339million.
The President mentioned other hospitals being constructed under this Project to include – a 250-bed Regional Hospital at Sewua in the Bosomtwe District; 60-bed Municipal Hospital at Salaga in the EastGonja Municipality and 60-bed Municipal Hospital at Konongo in the Asante-Akim Central Municipality.
Mr Kwaku Agyemeng-Manu, the Minister of Health, said the Facility complemented efforts towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on health and education.
“The project goes to buttress Ghana’s pledge towards accelerating efforts at attaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030 in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he stated.
He expressed confidence in Government’s efforts to grow the economy, sustain the National Health Insurance Scheme, employ more than 90,000 health personnel and drastically reduce unemployment.
Dr Said Deraz, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Euroget De-Invest SA, expressed the hope that the Hospital, fitted with ultra-modern equipment, would go a long way to provide quality health care to the good people of the area.
“Euroget De-Invest is here to ensure the long-term sustainability of this beautiful edifice that we are handing over to the country today,” Mr Deraz said, pledging that the company would deliver the other projects within schedule.
“We wish to assure you of our commitment to delivering the rest of the hospitals to Ministry of Health and Ministry of Defence to the same high level of quality as this hospital,” he noted.
He said though the construction experienced its fair share of challenges, the support from the ministries of Health and Finance, and the Ghana Revenue Authority helped the company to overcome those challenges.
Obrempong Appiah Nuamah II, Omanhene of Twifo Mampong Traditional Area, and a Member of Council of State lauded the exemplary leadership style of the President culminating in the monumental development across the country.