The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for adequate health facilities, prompting the government to construct additional infrastructure to address the pressing demand.
However, concerns are now being raised over the sustainability of these facilities beyond the crisis.
Residents, in an interview with Citi News, have expressed frustration and disappointment over the abandonment of health facilities built during the pandemic.
Despite being intended to address the pressing need for healthcare infrastructure, these facilities have been left unused and unmaintained, sparking concerns about their long-term viability.
A resident stated, “If they say it’s a government project and see how grass is around it. It’s very bad. By now this project should have started working. They are our taxes whether we like it or not, they take. And if we’ve paid tax and they used for such a project like this, it doesn’t continue going on, it’s very painful as a resident.”
Students at Pantang Nursing shared similar sentiments, noting that the facilities were initially intended for infectious diseases like COVID-19.
“We heard that it was actually built for infectious diseases like Covid-19, and now it’s left out because Covid is no more. We think that the government should use it for other health facilities to benefit us especially we the upcoming nurses.”
In response, the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Health, Isaac Baah, explained that the facilities are being reserved for the Ghana Health Service.
However, he acknowledged that contractual adjustments are needed before the facilities can be occupied, contributing to the delay.
“And now we are all aware of the rate at which COVID is a bit close to 0.5 or 1 per cent and so we cannot use those facilities as infectious disease centres.
“So that project at Pantang is being reserved for the Ghana Health Service. So when you want to move Ghana Health Service to occupy that place, what it means is that you need to have a lot of contractual adjustment.”
