The government is reconstructing some roads to ease access to healthcare facilities and improve healthcare delivery in the Ashanti region.

The road projects will link various hospitals, including the Agenda 111 health facilities, to the Ashanti Regional Government Hospital at Sawua.

Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, assured that these major road projects would be completed by 2024 or early 2025.

Major roads within the Oforikrom, Ejisu and Bosomtwe Districts have for several years been in terrible shape, raising safety concerns among commuters and residents.

The initiation of the government’s Agenda 111 hospital projects has influenced the construction of road infrastructure in some strategic locations.

The new road infrastructure includes the partial reconstruction of 6 kilometres of Emena-Apiadu-Donyina Feeder Roads, 3.3 kilometres of Appiadu–Apromase Feeder roads and other 25 kilometres of critical access roads within the Oforikrom, Ejisu and Bosomtwe Districts to provide easy access to health facilities in those areas.

The roads upon completion will also interlink the various hospitals in the region, including the Ejisu Government Hospital, Oforikrom Municipal Hospital, KNUST Teaching Hospital, and the Ashanti Regional Hospital.

Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, explained the government’s commitment to improve accessibility and provide quality infrastructure projects.

“The M Gyebi Road construction in the municipality has been massive. It started in January and they are almost done with the hardest parts of the work which are the drains, coverts and bridges.

“The people from Ejisu can come through from Aproamoase to access the regional hospital with ease. There are linkages with the hospital projects and road infrastructure. So, we have the full benefit of the infrastructure,” he said.

The minister toured some of the project sites in the region, including the Kumasi International Airport, Agenda 111 Hospital projects at Asokore Mampong and Oforikrom Municipalities, as well as ongoing road and bridge projects in the Oforikrom municipality.

The Minister is certain that at least six of the 16 Agenda 111 projects in the Ashanti region will be commissioned by the end of this year.

“KMA and Asokore Mampong Agenda 111 Hospitals faced challenges with the acquisition of land. In terms of size and topography, having access to large tracts of land was not easy.

“So instead of the horizontal type of buildings, these hospitals will be developed in vertical type with storey buildings. So their designs were changed and construction was delayed. But by the end of the year, 6 should be completed and commissioned,” he said.

Bernard Osei Bonsu is the consultant representative on-site for both the Oforikrom and Asokore Mampong Agenda 111 projects.

He said, “We are left with about 15 weeks to complete the Oforikrom hospital. It will have 8 housing units, internal roads, an energy centre, accident and energy units, and a morgue aside from typical hospital compartments,” he said.