Management of the Half Assini Government Hospital in the West Region have expressed grave concerns over the land encroachment menace facing the hospital.

Out of the 200-acre land of the hospital in the 1990s only 17 acres is currently available to the hospital.

Dr Jonathan Mensah, Medical Superintendent in-charge of the hospital, said this over the weekend when giving an overview of the hospital at a stakeholders meeting.

The meeting was called to find solution to numerous challenges facing the hospital and thus retarding its health delivery in the area.

Dr Mensah said to secure the hospital land and to prevent further encroachment, management is collaborating with the traditional authorities in the area and the District Assembly to address the issue.

He said the hospital management is also taking measures to fence the hospital and had so far procured some sand and arranged for 800 bags of cement from Ghacem.

Mr Sylvester Daddieh, Jomoro District Chief Executive, assured management of the hospital of his support to reclaim the encroached lands.

He thanked the management for organising the meeting and appealed that the meeting be held periodically with the Assembly to determine the future of the hospital.

Mr Paul Agyakwa, Hospital Administrator in his welcoming address, said government is gradually shedding its responsibility as sole manager of hospitals in the country to beneficiary communities by withdrawing its subventions to the hospitals and asked the people in the area to contribute towards improving the facility.

Madam Shallot Danquah, acting District Medical Director, who chaired the meeting, appealed to the people in the area to discard the notion that the hospital belonged to government and hence did not need their support.

She prayed that such meetings would be sustained and urged that the messages from the meeting be disseminated to attract public support for the hospital.

The meeting being the first of its kind in the history of the hospital was attended by 45 stakeholders made up of assembly members, bankers, traditional rulers, civil society organisations, businessmen, some workers and management of the hospital.

In attendance were Mr Joseph Mozu, West Regional Pharmacist of the Ghana Health Service, Mr Joseph Kabenlah Moore, former Pharmacist of the hospital and manager of Cab Moore Pharmaceuticals and Mr Stephen Blay, Research Officer of the Ghana Petroleum and Gas Limited under the Ministry of Energy.