Sissala West MP questions Health Minister over ‘delayed’ district hospital project

The Member of Parliament for Sissala West, Hon Adam Mohammed Sukparu has dragged Minister for Health to Parliament over the Sissala West District Hospital Project, which is yet to commence.

According to the MP, the District is one of the 111 District Hospitals that President Akufo Addo promised Ghanaians in the 2021 state of the Nation Address to Parliament early this year and captured in the Budget and Economic Planning statement Minister for Finance.

Hon Sukparu wanted to know when construction works for the District Hospital will be commenced through a parliamentary question.

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask the Minister for Health when construction of the Gwollu District Hospital will commence,” the Sissala West lawmaker asked.

He said the absence of a District Hospital is having a dire consequence on resident’s access to quality healthcare in the District, stressing that residents including pregnant women have to travel a long distance to either SIssala East, Navrongo, or Wa, the Upper West Regional capital in order to access healthcare.

In response, the Minister for Health, Hon Kwaku Agyeman-Manu said the Sissala West District has been listed under the District hospitals promised by the President second term Agenda 111.

According to the Minister, some preliminary issues have to be resolved before the construction could be commenced.

Some of the outstanding that needed urgent attention before the commencement of work included land acquisition, architectural and engineering designs, specifications, procurement of contractors, award of contracts and site selection resolution petitions from some communities on a possible relocation.

The Minister stated that “as of now, site selection for 101 sites have been completed and they will soon be handed to the contractor.”

He further explained that all things being equal, contractors would commence work by the end of July 2021 and assured that as soon the Sissala West District project issues are resolved, construction would follow to provide a befitting hospital to the people of Sissala West and its environs.