Construction works on a 120-bed hospital facility for the Kumawu District Hospital in the Sekyere Kumawu District of Ashanti Region, left abandoned in September last year, after its construction started in 2015, would commence in the next three weeks.

Additionally, the Fomena Hospital project, also with the same bed capacity which begun in 2015 and stalled in 2017, would also be revisited and both projects would see completion by the end of the year.

Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, the Health Minister, who disclosed this, said the two projects, works on which were abandoned when they were nearing completion, were among other district hospitals at Dodowa, Sekondi, Abetifi, and Garu-Tempane, earmarked to be constructed with a $175 million United Kingdom (UK) Fund.

Addressing a health stakeholders’ meeting at Kumawu, the capital of Sekyere Kumawu District, the Minister said the two projects had been selected to be completed with a total of US$38 million, and that, NMS Infrastructure Limited Company, the initial contractors would go back to work and finish the projects.

The Health Minister said the intervention was to ensure the timely completion of the two projects, intended to provide access to quality healthcare to the millions of residents in their catchment areas, and affirmed government’s commitment to attaining the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)–3, which seeks to achieve universal health coverage for all persons.

“Our vision and focus as a government is to bridge the equity gap with regard to access to health care and also help improve access to maternal, child neonatal, adolescent health and nutrition services”, he noted.

The stakeholders’ meeting was attended by Paramount Chief and Elders of the Kumawu Traditional Area, the District Health Directorate and local government officials.

The meeting formed part of the Health Minister’s four-day tour of the Region to facilitate strategic engagements with the sector stakeholders in order to have a firm assessment of the health needs of the people and develop sustainable solutions.