Govt addressing disparities in healthcare services – Mahama

Source: Daily Graphic Ghana  -  President John Dramani Mahama says his administration is working to address the disparities in access to health services. In achieving that, he said the government would continue to provide health facilities in poor and underserved rural areas.

President Mahama said this at a durbar organised in his honour at Bomaa in the Tano North District last Friday at the last leg of his two-day working visit to the Brong Ahafo Region.

He was in the town to inspect the Bomaa Polyclinic, provided by the government and which had already started operation. The facility serves about 30 communities in the area. President Mahama expressed the hope that with the facilities available in the polyclinic, health delivery would improve to an appreciable level in the area.

The President announced that plans were underway to construct additional 15 polyclinics. Ten of them will be in the Greater Accra Region with the other five in the Central Region.

President Mahama also touched on the cocoa roads rehabilitation programme and said the Tepa-Bomaa-Tanoso road would benefit from the programme funded by the Ghana Cocoa Board. The Bomaa-Duayaw Nkwanta road would also be rehabilitated with central government funding, he said.

President Mahama stated that very soon he would return to the region to cut the sod for work to commence on the cocoa roads and expressed appreciation to the chiefs and people of the area for the massive welcome accorded him.

The Regional Minister, Mr Eric Opoku, said the people of the region would always be grateful to the President for his keen interest in the region's development.

"When the time comes next year, I am highly optimistic that we in the Brong Ahafo Region will once again show our appreciation," he said to loud applause from the gathering.

In a speech read on his behalf, the Chief of Bomaa, Barima Kwafo Akoto II, said the government was performing creditably in the provision of development projects in the district. He, however, stressed the need for more action to be taken on road construction in the area.

While in the Brong Ahafo Region, the President inaugurated a new water system at Fetentaa near Berekum, inspected work on a completed polyclinic project at Wamfie in the Dormaa East District and inaugurated another new water system at Ntotroso in the Asutifi South District.

He also inaugurated a new water system at Kajeji in the Sene East District and inspected ongoing road works at Kwame Danso in the Sene West District.