pThe new Upper West Regional Hospital is 99 per cent complete and will be handed over to the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) at the end of June, 2019, for onward inauguration and opening for use by the general public.
The Resident Engineer, Ahmed Abo Shamma, of the Euroget De-Invest firm made this known to the media at Wa on Monday when they joined the Regional Minister, Dr Hafiz Bin Salih and other staff of the RCC to tour the facility.
The tour was to afford the minister the opportunity to inspect the place and also update himself with the progress of work as well as efforts being made to open up the place.
Mr Shamma explained that it had taken time to complete the 160-bed capacity hospital due to the absence of most of the raw materials used for the construction, in the region.
He said they had to import most of the items from southern Ghana or overseas hence the delay in getting them on time to undertake the work.
“We still have some finishing touches with the engineering aspect and some few installations as well as documentations to do in the next couple of weeks and so we expect to hand over the facility to the RCC at the end of June,” Mr Shamma stated.
The regional Director of Health Services, Dr Osei Kuffour Afreh said that there were a lot of complex equipment to be installed and would demand the expertise for which reason his outfit would liaise with the Ministry of Health to get qualified personnel and train them to make them capable enough to operate the facility.
“From the service point of view, the hospital is not only the infrastructure, it has to do with personnel, equipment, drugs, consumables and others and so even if the facility is completed and these other things are not ready, we will still not be able to put it to use,” he explained, and said it was necessary to ensure that adequate time was taken to install every relevant equipment and also engaged seasoned staff who would be trained and left in-charge of the facility.
Dr Afreh was optimistic that with time, the facility would develop into a teaching hospital and also serve the needs of patients from neighbouring Burkina Faso.
Dr Salih for his part, expressed satisfaction at the extent of work done but said, “We will not rush to inaugurate an uncompleted facility because we need to derive maximum benefit from it.”
The minister however assured that the RCC would monitor and facilitate the remaining one per cent of work left at the place to ensure that the engineers delivered within the given timeframe.
Sod, for the commencement of work, was cut in 2010 after the land was acquired for the project in 2008.
When completed, the hospital which is cited on a 133,000 metres square land with disability-friendly walkways would comprise12 clinics, including paediatric, maternal health, ear, nose, throat (ENT), dental and radiology centres with each of them fitted with state-of-the-art equipment.
It will also boast of a 20-unit staff accommodation, seven surgical theatres, full back up for electricity and other ancillary facilities that would elevate the hospital to a suitable referral centre.
LYDIA DARLINGTON FORDJOUR, WA
