How health minister gave ambulance instead of hospital to Banda community - MP details

The Deputy Minority Whip and Member of Parliament for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim, has disclosed how the Minister of Health responded to their request for a hospital in the Banda constituency.

According to him, instead of a hospital, the minister provided an ambulance, directing residents to travel 92 kilometres to the Tain District Hospital, which now faces disconnection from electricity due to substantial debt.

The Banda MP expressed dismay over the government's approach, emphasizing the implications of the situation.

He stated, "...the people of Banda constituency travel 92 kilometers to come to Tain Hospital. When I consulted the Minister for Health that Banda people need a hospital, he said because Banda has good roads, so you can be coming to Tain Hospital. They brought us an ambulance, and the ambulance will take you and travel 92 kilometers only to bring you to Tain hospital, which has no electricity, so you are redirected to Wenchi."

He further lamented that the government should have addressed the debt at Tain Hospital before the electricity disconnection by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

The disconnection has left patients arriving after a lengthy journey without access to essential services due to the lack of electricity.

The revelation came to light during discussions in parliament after the Tain MP, Adama Sulemana, raised concerns about the ECG debt of the hospital.

The Banda MP echoed the need for the government to take full responsibility for the electricity cost to support the operational needs of the hospital, especially considering the deprived status of Tain and Banda districts.



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NAY/AE