The chiefs and people of Abetifi in the Kwahu East district have appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to resume construction works on the Abetifi District Hospital, which has suffered 9 years of abandonment.
Abetifihene, Acheamfuor Asiedu Agyemang, is optimistic the project would be completed by the current administration, but says his people are frustrated after enduring years of neglect by the previous government.
The John Mahama-led administration in 2015 began the construction of six turnkey district hospitals across the country with funding support from the UK government.
Though all five projects have been completed and operationalized, that of Abetifi has suffered neglect under the Nana Addo-led government after being abandoned at a paltry 38 per cent complete.
The people of Abetifi who released prime land for the project, are disappointed at the delays.
The John Dramani Mahama-led administration in 2015 began the construction of six turnkey district hospitals across the country with funding support from the UK government.
They included Dodowa in the Greater Accra region, Fomena and Kumawu in the Ashanti region, Garu-Tempane in the Upper East Region, and Abetifi District hospital in the Eastern regions.
All five projects, designed, constructed and equipped by NMS Infrastructure Limited, have been completed and operationalized, but the Abetifi District Hospital, which can be expanded to 200 beds, has suffered 8 years of neglect.
When completed, the facility would be the first-ever government-initiated and -completed health facility in the Kwahu and Afram Plains areas of the Eastern Region, since all major health facilities are all CHAG-affiliated.
They are the Catholic Hospital at Nkawkaw, Kwahu Hospital built by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church at Atibie and the Presby Hospital at Donkorkrom.
Situated on 40 acres of land, the Abetifi facility is not only a pale shadow of itself, as it has been left in ruins at the mercy of weather.
While walls have tripled and fallen over each other, portions of staff bungalows have had their roofs ripped off.
Acheamfuor Asiedu Agyemang III is surrounded by some of his cabinet members.
Abetifihene, Acheamfuor Asiedu Agyemang used the just-ended Kwahu Business Forum to appeal to President Mahama to revisit the hospital project. “Your Excellency, you took a giant step to get Kwahuman a befitting hospital 9-years ago at Abetifi. The project reached an appreciable level until the change of government came. The project is at the same level you left it after 9-years. I will appeal to you to revisit the project for us”.
In a series of street protests, residents have been up in arms against traditional authorities for giving out prime farmlands for the project at the expense of people’s livelihoods.
Kwahu-Abetifi Anantahene, Nana Yeboah Bommodu III recounted how series of demonstrations by angry residents rocked the community as persons who lost farmlands hit the streets in protest, several years of waiting to see the project become a reality.
According to him, he “feels so bad” over the situation. This was after natives accused traditional authorities for denying them of their livelihoods.
“If you are a leader and the people you are leading feels bad about something and accuse you of making a wrong move, it puts you in a bad shape.”
Nana Bommodu and other members of the Abetifi Traditional Council were accused of selling prime lands to government for the project, an accusation he denies.
His overlord and Abetifihene, Acheamfuor Asiedu Agyemang III, tells JoyNews the people of Abetifi are frustrated because they have nothing to show after 9 years of waiting.
Portion of the abadoned hospital walls broken
“The situation we see now there after 9-years have us regret for given out the land not because we’ve given the land out and regretted later but the situation in which the facility stands now is what has made us regretted for what actually has happened,” he said.
Abetifi District Hospital has roofs ripped-off
Given a background to the project, he said though the project was conceived by the John Dramani Mahama administration 9-years ago, a change of government meant the project was abandoned.
“About 9-years ago, the government conceived an idea to build a district hospital for the people of Kwahu, precisely Kwahu East District Hospital. The idea was mooted by then President John Dramani Mahama. At the end of 2016 after elections, the government in power lost the election and a new government was formed. We were thinking after the formation of new government or where the new government came into place, we may continue with the project of building the Kwahu East District Hospital.”
The abandoned staff quarters at the Abetifi District Hospital
According to Acheamfuor Agyemang III, the Akufo-Addo government that took over the reign of governance from John Dramani Mahama did little to improve the situation as the project was abandoned.
The current state of the abandoned hospital
“In the first budget of President Akufo-Addo, he mentioned it and made reference to it that the project will continue. I think after 1-year, there was nothing in the budget that show that he had any idea of continuing with the project.”
But despite the setbacks, the Chief is optimistic President Mahama will continue the project.
“We still have every confidence that the government will come and put up the structure for us. I feel confident in the first place because he (President Mahama) started it. They were only 7 of them and there are many districts in Ghana. Out of this, he chose Kwahu East to put up that structure for us. We believe that he had the will to put up that structure”.
When completed, the Abetifi District Hospital will provide a therapeutic environment to support quick and easy patient recovery.
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