COVID-19: The Promised 88 District Hospitals

Isaac Batowiise Bening writes:

COVID-19 has exposed us. For me, Covid-19 has shown us that health infrastructure is and ought to be paramount. It has to be assigned the highest priority among other priorities.

It is now public knowledge about the request from the Ministry of Local Government And Rural Development with regards to the release of land towards the fulfillment of H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo promised 88 district hospitals.

My quick observations, questions, concerns, and suggestion are as follow;

First of all, a brief glance at the list of districts without hospitals by regions shows that the Savannah Region got omitted. This I believe was by mistake which shouldn't have been.

Secondly, how would districts with polyclinics be handled? Would they still get a new hospital under the Covid-19 linked programme or the polyclinic would be upgraded to a hospital status? An example is my district (Lambussie District) where the polyclinic is in the process of been upgraded to hospital status.

Lastly, can the May 31, 2020 deadline be met considering the fact about how long it takes for the acquisition of family land in Ghana?

Investing in health infrastructure at the local level should be non-negotiable. We do not need another pandemic to be seen investing in health infrastructure.

I shall return.