The Bongo District Hospital operates from a facility originally constructed as a health centre and still lacks the infrastructure, equipment and personnel expected of a standard district hospital, District Health Director Estella Abazesi has said.
According to her, although the facility has been upgraded administratively to the status of a district hospital, its physical infrastructure has not undergone a corresponding transformation to meet the healthcare needs of the district.
Speaking on Bolga FM’s Tinmaalgo Sanga programme, Madam Abazesi said the situation has created challenges for healthcare delivery, including inadequate bed capacity, medical equipment and health professionals.
She therefore called for the construction of a purpose-built and properly equipped district hospital to provide the range of services expected at that level of the healthcare system.
Madam Abazesi disclosed that land has already been acquired for the construction of a new district hospital, although she did not indicate when construction would begin.
She said the need for improved healthcare infrastructure has become particularly important because of the population the district’s health facilities are required to serve.
According to the Health Director, Bongo is the third-largest district by population in the Upper East Region, based on the 2021 Population and Housing Census.
Beyond infrastructure, Madam Abazesi said the district requires additional health personnel, including doctors, laboratory technicians, storekeepers and security personnel.
She said strengthening the workforce would improve the district’s capacity to provide healthcare and reduce some of the pressures on existing personnel and facilities.
The infrastructure challenge, she said, also extends to healthcare delivery at the community level.
Madam Abazesi disclosed that Bongo has 58 Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) zones, but only 26 currently have physical structures.
This leaves 32 CHPS zones without their own physical facilities, based on the figures provided by the District Health Director.
She explained that the CHPS system is intended to bring basic healthcare closer to people, particularly those in rural and underserved communities.
Madam Abazesi therefore called for further investment in CHPS compounds to improve access to healthcare and reduce the distances some residents have to travel for basic services.
She maintained that addressing both the infrastructure and human-resource gaps would strengthen healthcare delivery across the Bongo District.
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz | Moses Anaba Azubire | Bolgatanga
