President Nana Akufo-Addo has commissioned the $52million Upper West Regional Hospital on day two of his tour of the region. The unveiling of the 160-bed facility took place on Sunday, August 18. The Upper West Regional Hospital is part of the “Ghana Hospital Project” awarded by the Government of Ghana, in 2008, and executed by Euroget De-Invest S.A of Egypt. The Project involves the design, construction and equipping of one (1) Military Hospital, two (2) Regional Hospitals, and six (6) District Hospitals in Ghana, at a project cost of US$ 339million. The Government of ex-president John Agyekum Kufuor, signed an MoU with Euroget S.A for the construction of the hospitals in April 2008. The cabinet and parliament gave their approval for the commencement of the project in October and November 2008 respectively.  The Wa Regional Hospital is designed with several departments including an administration, Out Patient Department (OPD), Physiotherapy unit, Pharmacy Radiology Unit, Laboratory, Surgical Suite (Operation Dep.), Emergency & Casualty Unit, Burns Unit, Central Sterile Supply Department, Medical Gases production unit, Obstetrics & Gynecology (Maternity and Child Health), Ambulance Station, Mortuary, Medical Waste Department, Relatives Hostel and 20 Staff Housing Units. It is also equipped with modern medical equipment, key among them include X-Ray machines (stationed & mobile), CT Scan, mammography, ultrasound, fully equipped operation theatre, medical gases and Patient Monitors.   The facility is also fitted with a complete Local Area Network integrated with a Data Centre, Hospital Information Management Systems (HIMS), Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) and Internet Connectivity. Speaking at the event, President Akufo-Addo described the commissioning of the hospital as the “highlight of my tour of this Region.” “This project has passed through the hands of four successive presidents of Ghana. It was initiated and begun under the His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, it was continued by his successor, His Excellency the late John Evans Atta-Mills, and his successor, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama and it has been commissioned by me. This is a good statement about our country, our institutions, and our governance,” the President said.   It is this continuity, President Akufo-Addo added, that makes Ghana an attractive destination for foreign investment and foreign interest because agreements struck by one government are respected by successive governments. While applauding the Egyptian company for the construction of the hospitals, the President stated that “the social infrastructure that we need to develop and establish in our country continues apace, the modernization of our country continues apace. And, it is important that we recognize how significant it is that we are able to develop this kind of infrastructure.”   The President reinforced the call made by the Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyemang Manu, about the need to strengthen and embrace the culture of maintenance, and urged administrators of the hospital to ensure that it does not fall into a state of disrepair.   Other hospitals under the Euroget S.A project included the Kumasi Military Hospital, the Madina District Hospital, the Tepa District Hospital, Twifo Praso District Hospital, the Konongo District Hospital Project, the Salaga District Hospital, the Nsawkaw District Hospital and the Kumasi Sewua Regional Hospital.   The site for the Upper West Regional Hospital was the first to commence construction in August 2010, after designs and value for money audit were approved. Various challenges, however, delayed the completion of the hospital projects.   The Ga East Hospital at Kwabenya is expected to be completed and handed over in December 2019. Tepa Hospital would be completed and handed over in April 2020, with Nsawkaw Hospital also to be completed and handed over by June 2020.   Both Konongo and Kumasi Sewua Hospitals will be completed by November 2020, with the Salaga and Twifo Praso being completed and handed over also in 2020.