President Nana Akufo-Addo has commissioned an 85-bed Central Gonja District Hospital, located at Buipe, in the Savannah Region, at the start of his two-day tour of the Region.
The Buipe Hospital, which construction commenced in 2018, is one of six medical installations for which the government secured an 80-million-Euro facility from Raiffeisen Bank of Austria.
The hospital and five others at Somanya, Sawla, Bamboi, Tolon, and Ketu North, were constructed by Vamed Engineering GmbH of Austria.
President Akufo-Addo, on 20th October 2020, also commissioned the 60-bed Ultra-Modern Hospital for Weta, in the Ketu North District.
The Buipe Hospital is an 85-bed hospital that is fitted with an Out-Patient’s Department (OPD), Radiology unit, Laboratory, Pharmacy, Dental Unit, Male and Female Wards, as well as Pediatric and Maternity Units.
Indeed, prior to the construction of the hospital at Buipe, its residents had to rely on the Teaching Hospital at Tamale, or the Holy Family Hospital at Techiman.
Considering the distances to be travelled from Buipe to Tamale or to Techiman, it had become imperative that Government constructs a health facility at Buipe to take care of the health needs of the people of Central Gonja District.
The President was hopeful that the hospital will help improve the health needs of the people of the district.
Indeed, in addition to the newly constructed Buipe District Hospital, President Akufo-Addo also revealed that government has constructed health facilities in Mpaha, Digma and Tosinape and Kigberipe, all in the Central Gonja district.
Earlier in the day, the President paid a courtesy call on the Overlord of Gonja, the Yagbonwura, Tutumba Boresa Sulemana Jakpa, to thank him and the Region for the support offered the New Patriotic Party in the 2020 elections.
Touching on the request for potable drinking water made by the Yagbonwura, President Akufo-Addo indicated that he had already cut the sod for the construction of the Damongo Water Supply project to address the problem.
He explained that Covid-19 had delayed the implementation of the project, “but I am happy to inform you that by the first week of August the contractor will be moving to the site to begin work.”
Reiterating his commitment to constructing some 1,500 kilometres of asphalt roads in 2021, he assured the Yagbonwura that the Savannah Region will be a beneficiary of this project, and re-assured the Overlord of Gonja that the construction of the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs will also commence in earnest.
New RCC Building
President Akufo-Addo also visited the site of the construction of a new three-Storey Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) Administration Block for the Savannah Region, located at Damongo.
The RCC building is currently 70% complete, with concrete works, blockwork, plastering works, roofing, door frame, electrical pipework and cabling and plumbing pipework all completed.
In line with directives of the President to ensure a spatial allocation of state institutions in the newly created regions, a two-Storey Administration block for Regional Education Directorate is also being constructed at Damongo.
Others are a two-Storey Administration block for Regional Health Directorate at Daboya, a two-Storey Administration block for Regional Agric Directorate at Bole, and a two-storey Administration block for Regional Feeder Roads Department at Salaga.