Residents of Ofankor in the Ga North Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, have called on the government to immediately operationalize the Ofankor Health Centre which remains closed.
According to a resident who spoke to Citi TV, although the health centre is close to them, they travel to Achimota or Amasaman to access healthcare.
[contextly_sidebar id=”R9aWmoVYNo0Mp7V0wACvRF60qV6r0sK2″]“I have been here for the past three years. I only saw the facility last year [2017], but it seems they’ve not opened it so it’s been worrying us. When we fall sick we go to Amasaman or Achimota,” a resident lamented in a Citi TV interview.
Another complained about the huge traffic they endure when traveling to access health facilities in neighbouring communities.
“It is a problem for us since there is no public hospital around here, only a few private hospitals around, and the cost, not everyone can afford it. So we are pleading with the government to operationalize this facility for us. During the day there is also heavy traffic on roads to the Amasaman or Achimota hospitals,” another one said.
The health centre, which was constructed two years ago by the government with funding from the African Development Bank has been abandoned.
It is one of the over 16 hospitals that have been abandoned nationwide.
Operationalising ‘abandoned’ Ofankor health centre to cost GHc1.2m
The Ga West Municipal Assembly is spending some GHc1.2 million to operationalize the abandoned Health Centre.
The Ga West Municipal Chief executive, Clement Nii Lamptey Wilkinson, in a Citi News interview said the centre would be operational by the middle of July.
“We are putting some finishing touches inside of the facility. We plan to do that by the end of this month, but looking at things, by the middle of July, we can open it for the community to use. The money that we have to spend on what we are doing is about GHc1.2 million,” he added.
Nurses, other staff on standby
Meanwhile, the Municipal Health Director for Ga West, Dr. Doris Arhin, said they have staff on standby to work at the facility.
“Currently, we have staff waiting to start work. They are on standby. We have the administrator of the hospital, procurement, secretary, nurses; we have even the deputy director of nursing services waiting for the functionality of the facility,” she said.
Dr. Doris said they are only awaiting the furniture promised them by the Ga North Municipal Assembly.
“The Assembly has promised to purchase furniture. We currently have about 40 beds, anaesthetic machine, theatre beds, OPD, equipment and logistics. All these are available, but the only challenge is furniture,” she added.
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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin
