New X-ray machines for all regional hospitals - Bagbin

The Ministry of Health is to install new X-ray machines in all regional hospitals by the end of the year, Mr. Alban Bagbin, the Sector Minister, has announced.

He said the digital X-ray machines are equipped with Information Communication Technology (ICTs) and other modern gadgets. MRI and CT scans will also be installed.

Mr. Bagbin made this known when he addressed staff and students of the Brong-Ahafo Regional Hospital and the Nursing and Midwifery Training College at separate durbars in Berekum and Sunyani as part of his working visit to the Region.

He said the Ministry had procured the machines and it was left to the regional hospitals to ensure that they were installed.

Mr. Bagbin said the government sourced $267 million from the US government and that the government had secured additional $2.5 million loan to procure beds to refurbish the hospitals.

Mr. Bagbin said plans were far advanced for the construction of 50 new polyclinics in the country and the introduction of mobile clinics was on course and had started in the Northern Region.

He mentioned Kwatire, Bomaa, Nkrankwanta, Techimantia and Wamfie as the communities earmarked to benefit from the polyclinics in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

The Minister said the health sector had attained remarkable achievements in the past years indicating that because of the introduction of policies and programmes perennial migration of health professionals abroad had seen drastic reduction.

At Berekum, Mrs. Monica Nkrumah, Principal of the College, appealed for staff accommodation and an electric power generator because she said, regular and unannounced power outages were greatly affecting student performance.