The Tongo Health centre in the Talensi District in the Upper East Region has been approved for upgrading into a hospital.

The approval followed the posting of a medical doctor to the facility, District Chief Executive for the area, Edward Awunnore has indicated.

According to him, though the assembly has long being lobbying for upgrading the centre into a hospital they could not make much progress because the facility needed to meet one important requirement, a resident medical doctor. But all these years the facility could not get any. However, determined to ensure residents receive quality health delivery, the assembly intensified the lobbying and finally one has been posted to the area.

“The arrival of a resident doctor will significantly improve health delivery and this is what we have been looking for all these years. We appreciate it and will do our best to support him, the staff and the facility to meet the demands of residents in the district”, he added.

The DCE said since accommodation is a major challenge to retaining professional in deprived areas, the assembly also took it upon itself to provide suitable accommodation for the comfort of the doctor.

Speaking on the upgrade of the facility to a hospital, Mr. Awunnore said it is important to have a well equipped hospital to serve as referral centre to all other smaller health institutions in the district to make sure complex medical cases are taken care off to prevent needless deaths.

He expressed hope actual work on the upgrading will start soon enough as attendant keeps growing at the health centre despite its inadequate equipments.

Meanwhile, the DCE announced that new site has been acquired for the construction of new health facility in the future.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanadistricts.com