The Member of Parliament for Salaga North, Alhassan Mumuni, has appealed to the Ministry of Health to prioritise the completion of the stalled Agenda 111 hospital at Kpalbe in the North East Gonja District of the Savannah Region.
Speaking after an inspection tour of the project, the MP said the absence of a district hospital was forcing residents to travel outside the district for medical care.
“In the entire district, we don’t have a district hospital,” he said. “What we resort to is referring patients to Tamale and also to Salaga to secure health care.”
He urged Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh to include the facility among the Agenda 111 hospitals earmarked for early completion, arguing that it would significantly improve access to healthcare for residents.
The Minister had announced in April that the government intended to complete ten Agenda 111 hospitals by the end of 2026, targeting facilities nearing completion.
Mr Mumuni said the Minister had also assured Parliament that at least one project in each region would be considered, and appealed for the North East Gonja facility to benefit from that arrangement.
“I want to use this opportunity once again to appeal to the Ministry of Health to ensure that at least this project is considered under the first ten Agenda 111 projects that he intends to complete,” he said.
Although encouraged by the work already undertaken, the MP expressed concern that residents were yet to benefit from the investment.
“I am overwhelmed by the work that I have seen, but I think that we need to wake up and complete this project so that at least our people will benefit from it,” he said.
He said the district also lacked a resident doctor, attributing the situation to inadequate facilities and accommodation to support the posting of medical personnel.
According to him, completing the hospital would strengthen primary healthcare delivery and support maternal healthcare interventions under President John Dramani Mahama’s administration.
Mr Mumuni also questioned the decision to spread resources across numerous hospital projects without ensuring that some were completed and made operational.
He argued that a more focused allocation of funding could have delivered at least 30 functioning hospitals for communities, rather than leaving several projects unfinished.
The MP described the inspection as part of his oversight responsibility to monitor ongoing and abandoned projects in his constituency, stressing that completing the hospital remains a priority for the people of North East Gonja.
By Nadra Mohammed
