By Elizabeth Punsu
President John Dramani Mahama has assured residents of Ashanti Region and the entire nation of his commitment to quickly operationalising the uncompleted military hospital at Afari and Sewia Hospital.
The road leading to Sewia Government Hospital – intended to serve as the Ashanti Regional Hospital – remains in a deplorable state despite the facility being completed. Additionally, the hospital lacks essential amenities such as potable water and electricity which are critical for its effective operation. Consequently, the hospital has been left vulnerable to the weather.
Speaking at the first Akwasidae celebration at Manhyia, Kumasi, President Mahama expressed gratitude to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and assured the gathering that these challenges will be addressed immediately.
He pledged to ensure the road leading to Sewia Hospital is completed, while potable water and electricity will also be provided to make the facility fully operational.
He emphasised that once Sewia Hospital is in use, it will ease congestion at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and facilitate the much-needed renovations there.
“Sewia Hospital remains incomplete because there is no water, electricity and the road to the hospital is not complete. I want to assure you that we will tackle these issues immediately and open the hospital to ease the pressure on KATH. Patients can then be moved from KATH to Sewia – allowing us to undertake the necessary renovations at KATH, which is difficult to do when the hospital is operating at full capacity. Nana, I assure you that we will work on this,” the president said.
On the military hospital at Afari, near Kumasi, President Mahama noted that work on the project had stalled for the past eight years.
He highlighted that the importance of completing the facility is to ensure continuous healthcare delivery in the region, particularly during periods of industrial action by health workers.
The president also elaborated on the rationale for initiating the Afari hospital’s construction as the second military hospital in the country after the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.
“I assure you that we are going to accelerate work on the second military hospital at Afari and open its doors to serve the people of Asanteman. During my administration, we recognised the need for a second military hospital.
“These facilities are vital as emergency hospitals that remain operational even during strikes by doctors and nurses. Public hospitals may close during such times, but military hospitals always stay open. That is why we decided to build the second military hospital here in Asanteman-Afari,” he explained.
