Health Infrastructure deficit in Ashanti worrying - Health Minister

Kwaku Agyemang Manu, the Minister of Health, has underlined the need for an improvement of health infrastructure in the Ashanti Region.

He said the growing population of the Region is outstripping the number of health facilities and the situation is putting a lot of pressure on these limited facilities.

The Minister, who was addressing students and staff of the Fomena Nursing and Midwifery Training College, said the situation needed to improve to achieve the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) target by 2030.

He is on a four-day working visit to the region to inspect ongoing health projects and also be updated on the challenges on the ground through interactions with stakeholders in the health sector.

"My visit to Ashanti has exposed the huge infrastructure deficit in the region that needs to be tackled urgently", he told the students.

He said but for his visit, he could not have appreciated the enormity of the situation and this could adversely affect the health of the people if not addressed.

Mr Manu assured that the Ministry would push for the improvement in infrastructure, not only in the Ashanti Region but across the country to improve access to quality healthcare.

Achieving the UHC, he said, would be a tall order if the needed infrastructure was not put in place, adding that, government would continue to invest in that area.

He counselled health professionals to show commitment to duty and provide the best of care to people who attend various health facilities to seek medical care.

He urged them to accept postings to rural communities where their services are most needed and appreciated.

Mr Manu said conditions in rural areas may be challenging but accepting to work in those areas was rewarding as it afforded them the opportunity to improve on their skills faster.

The Minister later inspected the project site of the Fomena District Hospital, which had stalled for the past three years and assured the people that the contractor would move back to site in the next three weeks to resume work.