The Interior Minister, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Asawase, has, within six months, ensured the construction and commissioning of a polyclinic for the people of Ayigya Zongo, a deprived community in the Oforikrom Municipality.

According to him, the population of the Ayigya Zongo community is growing rapidly, but residents have to trek several miles to access healthcare, which he described as a major healthcare deficiency.

Commissioning the facility at Ayigya, he said the project was supported and funded by the Quarter Charity Foundation to address the health challenges facing the community.

“I am a Member of Parliament for Asawase, but this is the community where I lived during my childhood, and I can’t leave them to continue suffering from the lack of health facilities, which has been a challenge since time immemorial. Oforikrom is my annex constituency, so every development I bring to Asawase, I will bring some here,” he said.

Addressing the gathering, the MP urged the community to have faith in the President Mahama administration and assured them of more developmental projects.

The Municipal Chief Executive for Oforikrom, Ahmed Anwel Sadat, also said healthcare had been a long-standing challenge in some communities in the Oforikrom Municipality due to partisan politics.

“Previous governments pushed all developmental projects to the other parts of the municipality, leaving the Zongo communities behind. So, I thank the Interior Minister for helping me to get a polyclinic for the Zongo communities in Oforikrom,” he said.

The MCE promised to ensure regular maintenance of the facility to help it last long and serve its purpose.

“As the facility has been commissioned, its operationalisation has taken place. All patients can visit the facility for healthcare. Nurses and other healthcare workers are here working,” he added.

The Municipal Health Directorate for Oforikrom encouraged residents to prioritise visiting the hospital for medical attention rather than resorting to self-medication.