Dodowa District Hospital to be opened soon

The Dodowa Hospital will soon be the first of seven district hospitals to be opened across the country by the end of 2015 with 95 per cent of work completed on the project.

The NMS Infrastructure Limited, a British Company has won the bid to construct new hospitals in six communities across the country under the “Build to care” programme.

The seven projects are being constructed at a cost of 175 million dollars, with funding from Barclays Bank Plc and Cal Bank, which will involve six fully equipped district hospitals in Dodowa in the Dangme West District; Abetifi in the Kwahu East District; Fomena in the Adansi Nunta District, and Garu in the Garu-Timpani District.

The rest are Kumawu in the Sekyere District and in Sekondi in the Western Region, while NMS infrastructure will also upgrade the European Hospital in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly as well as the provision of hospital information technology and pharmaceutical management systems.

Speaking at a press briefing in Accra, Mr Peter Marks, Director for NMS International Group said the six hospitals will each have 120 new beds, dedicated medical, surgical and maternity wards, modern and traditional treatment choices, and local public health programmes.

He said work is far advanced in the other projects in the regions and was optimistic that by the end of 2016, all the projects would be fully completed.

Mr Marks said Dodowa hospital is rapidly nearing completion, with all buildings erected and new access roads laid out ahead of landscaping and equipment installation due in November, stressing that, the hospitals will be the cornerstones of the local communities, providing family-friendly environments with gardens, play areas and visitor accommodation, and community health programmes.

He noted that the “Built to Care” is a pioneering programme that is helping the country to lead the way for all of Africa in modern and sustainable healthcare, providing state of the art facilities and services for the citizenry.

“The hospitals are designed to be cost effective to build, easy to maintain and cheap to run, ensuring that patients receive the highest quality treatment that is affordable, easy to access and provided in safe, secure and pleasant environments”, he added.

Mr Frederick Hsu, Deputy Chairman, NMS Infrastructure said so far, 950 jobs have been created for Ghanaians and six Ghanaian small and medium enterprises set up to provide services and training, with over 100 Ghanaian suppliers involved in a 50 million dollars Ghanaian supply chain, supported by five local children’s charities.

He stressed that the project is critical in supporting the country’s socio-economic development in reducing infant mortality, maternal health and combating malaria and other related illnesses.

Mr Tony Goodman, Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Health commended NMS Infrastructure for the swift construction of the projects, adding that, the facility is in line with the Ministry’s resolve to build a hospital in every district to bring quality health care to the door steps of the people.

Mr Kojo Hastings, Managing Partner for NMS Infrastructure said the completion of the projects will create employment for the communities, and that, their doors are open to the media for further clarifications.

The NMS Infrastructure specializes in systems, design and engineering, logistics, procurement and project management to deliver innovative solutions.