Social commentator Stanley Abopam has renewed calls for the establishment of a fully equipped regional hospital in the Upper East Region, warning that ongoing debates over two proposed teaching hospitals risk overshadowing a long-standing healthcare need.
Speaking on Dreamz FM’s News Digest, Mr Abopam said the region was promised a modern regional referral hospital years ago but has yet to receive the facility.
He recalled that during discussions surrounding redevelopment works at the Bolgatanga Central Hospital in 2009, then Vice President John Mahama acknowledged the region’s need for a dedicated regional hospital due to its growing population and healthcare demands.
According to Mr Abopam, civil society groups at the time agreed to allow reconstruction works at the Bolgatanga Central Hospital to continue after receiving assurances that a modern referral hospital would eventually be established for the region.
“The President himself was aware that the Upper East Region needed a befitting regional hospital,” he said.
Mr Abopam argued that the current conversation about establishing two teaching hospitals ignores existing challenges, including inadequate staffing, overstretched health workers and limited specialist services.
He questioned the consultations and planning processes that informed the proposal, asking how authorities arrived at the decision to pursue two teaching hospitals when the region’s top referral facility still faces resource constraints.
The commentator also expressed concern that political disagreements over hospital locations could delay healthcare development in the same way other regional projects have stalled.
He urged authorities to concentrate resources on one facility if necessary, rather than dividing investments between multiple projects.
According to Mr Abopam, residents would benefit more from a well-equipped teaching hospital located either in Bolgatanga or Navrongo than from competing proposals that may never materialize.
He called for broader stakeholder consultations and evidence-based planning to ensure that future healthcare investments address the region’s most pressing needs.
