By Dennis Perprah
Sunyani, Nov. 20, GNA – The government has upgraded the Sunyani Regional Hospital to a Teaching Hospital status to become a cornerstone and medical innovation, advancement and to provide essential healthcare service in the Bono Region and beyond.
The upgrade, according to Dr Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, the Minister of Health followed approval of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by cabinet to convert the hospital into a Teaching Hospital at the 45th Cabinet Meeting, held in February 2023.
Accordingly, a Medical School would also be established at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), the Minister stated when he inaugurated the hospital in Sunyani.
Dr Agyemang-Manu, also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dormaa Central in the region, expressed appreciation to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the upgrade, and the government’s efforts in enhancing the healthcare landscape in the region with a multitude of facilities.
These include the new 60-bed hospital in the Tain District, the Benkasa Health Center in the Berekum West District, the comprehensive 60-bed Paediatric Ward complete with offices, restrooms, and 12 washrooms at the Nkrakwanta District Hospital, and several other CHPS compounds, all equipped with staff accommodation.
He said the country was making significant headway with ‘Agenda 111’, a central initiative aimed at rectifying the infrastructural gaps in the nation’s healthcare system, saying currently, all hospital projects under the initiative were in progress, with varying degrees of completion.
Additionally, the Ghana Health Service is set to roll out ‘Networks of Practice,’ a transformative model to unify healthcare facilities, especially, at the primary levels, optimizing their operations and strengthening the primary healthcare system.
Dr Agyemang-Manu extended a special note of gratitude to the Bono Regional Coordinating Council, the Bono Regional House of Chiefs, and the management and entire staff of the regional hospital for their hard work.
Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister said the upgrade of the hospital would advance medical knowledge and health science with corresponding social and economic for resilient community.
She commended the government, the MPs in the region, management of the hospital and management of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) for their tireless contributions towards the upgrading of the hospital.
Dr Cardinal Newton, the Medical Director of the Hospital also expressed his heartfelt gratitude to President Akufo-Addo and expressed the hope that medical facilities would be improved for quality healthcare delivery.
GNA