New UWR Hospital To Be Ready By December

The new 160 bed capacity Upper West Regional Hospital is expected to be ready by December 2017, Mr. Ahmed Abou Shamaa, the Resident Civil Engineer has disclosed.

He said currently, the facility was about 80 per cent complete, explaining that they pushed the full completion to the end of the year because they wanted to pay attention to details in terms of quality so that the facility could stand the test of time.

Mr Shamaa disclosed this when the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr. Sulemana Alhassan together with his Deputy, Mr Amidu Issahaku Chinnia made their first visit to the facility to acquaint themselves with what was going on with the project.

They were accompanied by Mr. Kingsley Boahene, the Acting Chief Director of the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), Dr Winfred Ofosu, Acting Upper West Regional Director of Health Services, and Regional Commanders of various security agencies in the region.

Mr Shamaa and his colleagues who conducted the Minister and his entourage round the 130,000 square metres landmass facility said it included 20 units housing as accommodation for staff.

In addition, there was a back-up generated to provide light at the facility each time the lights went off, the Resident Civil Engineer noted.

The Regional Minister expressed satisfaction with the quality of work so far and commended the contractor for a good job done.

Mr Alhassan noted that the facility was a state of the art facility and that when completed, it would be able to attract the needed qualified doctors and other health staff to come and stay and work.

He said government was committed to improving on the health status of the people and pledged their commitment to assist in whatever way possible to ensure that the facility was ready for use by end of the year.

The 160- bed capacity project which started in 2010 was scheduled to have been completed in 2014, but owning to some challenges, constructional works delayed.

The facility has an administrative block, pharmacy unit, out-patient department, inpatient unit, physiotherapy apartment, and laboratory section.

Other apartments are blood bank unit, surgical section, burns division, emergency care unit, sick babies' apartment, delivery section and maternity unit.

The service area also has maintenance unit, stores, power station, medical waste unit, laundry and kitchen component, mortuary, water plant, sewerage plant and a mini market section among others.