An unfinished Agenda 111 hospital project in Assin Darmang is now overrun by weeds and wildlife. Machines sit idle at the site. Warehouses remain locked. Erosion has destroyed the leveled ground. Poor drainage causes gullies to form. These gullies undermine building foundations.
Heavy rains have created dangerous uneven parts of the site. A reporter and escort narrowly avoided a snake bite at the morgue entrance. Several other snakes were seen fleeing into the overgrown vegetation. Youths were found smoking openly in one of the rooms. They asked the reporter for money to buy food.
The Assin South District Chief Executive, Mr Jonathan Birikorang, pledged to complete the project. He stated President John Mahama promised to finish all ongoing and abandoned projects. The facility is meant to serve over 120,000 people. The DCE expressed heartbreak over the delayed completion. He called the situation unacceptable for such an important facility.
The district lacks sufficient healthcare facilities. Residents travel long distances for medical care. They go to facilities in neighbouring districts. These include St. Francis Xavier Hospital and Abura-Dunkwa Government Hospital. This long travel puts residents' lives at risk. It also pressures hospitals in other districts.
Patient and caregiver travel time affects productivity. Emergency cases needing timely local care face complications. Recovery becomes more difficult without nearby facilities. The district also faces an ambulance shortage. Its only ambulance has been out of service for months. This issue is compounded by the district's rural nature. Communities are often far apart.
The District Director of the Ghana Health Service, Ms Susana Bill, welcomed President John Dramani Mahama's pledge. She appealed for the Assin Darmang hospital to be included. Completing this project would boost primary healthcare. It would expand local capacity for basic and emergency care. It would reduce travel times for rural patients. Pressure on larger hospitals would also ease.
Improved district infrastructure would allow more services locally. These include maternal and child health and routine surgeries. Diagnostics and stabilisation could be done at the community level. This would reduce patient referrals to regional hospitals. Ms Bill also noted the need for personnel, medicines, and ambulance services. These are crucial for completed facilities to be effective.
The Chief of Darmang, Nana Okofo Kwadwo Benti II, called the hospital's absence unfortunate. He urged the government to prioritise its completion. Residents like Matilda Asare Boadu shared their struggles. They search for motorists at midnight. These motorists risk their vehicles to take patients to distant hospitals. Their urgent plea is to finish, equip, and staff the hospital.