The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin and the 11 Members of Parliament from the Upper West Region have been commended for spearheading what has been described as a bold and transformative agenda to improve healthcare delivery in the region.
The proposed installation of dialysis machines at the Upper West Regional Hospital, the upgrade of the facility into a Teaching Hospital, and the establishment of a Medical School at the University for Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS) are listed as having the potential to address decades of healthcare challenges facing the region.
In a statement signed by the NDC Communication Officer for Nadowli-Kaleo and Regional Communication Officer hopeful, Biekpe Sylvester, widely known as B.T. Sly, he noted that the region has long struggled with inadequate specialist healthcare services, forcing many patients to travel to Tamale, Kumasi and Accra for treatment.
The region’s shortage of specialist doctors in areas such as nephrology, cardiology, oncology, neurology, and endocrinology, coupled with limited access to advanced medical equipment, continues to place significant financial and emotional burdens on patients and their families.
“Long referral processes frequently delay diagnosis and treatment, resulting in avoidable complications and, in some cases, preventable deaths,” the statement said.
B. T. Sylvester further observed that Members of Parliament are often compelled to provide financial assistance to constituents seeking specialist care outside the region, limiting resources that could otherwise be directed towards other development needs.
He described the planned installation of six dialysis machines at the Regional Hospital as a life-saving intervention that would bring renal care closer to patients suffering from chronic kidney disease and acute kidney injuries.
It said the project would reduce the need for patients to travel hundreds of kilometres several times a week for dialysis treatment, lower treatment costs, improve access to specialist care and ultimately save lives.
He also welcomed plans to upgrade the Upper West Regional Hospital into a Teaching Hospital, describing it as a significant milestone that would improve specialist healthcare, strengthen medical research and provide a platform for training future healthcare professionals.
Adding that a teaching hospital in the region would attract more specialist consultants, expand diagnostic and treatment services, reduce unnecessary referrals and create employment opportunities for doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, radiographers, physiotherapists, biomedical engineers and other health professionals.
The statement also highlighted the proposed establishment of a Medical School at UBIDS as a long-term solution to the region’s shortage of healthcare professionals.
It argued that training doctors and other health professionals within the region would increase the likelihood that graduates would remain to practise in the Upper West Region, while promoting research into diseases prevalent in northern Ghana and strengthening collaboration between academia and the health sector.
He noted that the combined initiatives would not only improve health outcomes but also stimulate economic growth by creating jobs, attracting investment, promoting medical research and positioning the Upper West Region as a centre for specialist healthcare and higher education.
While applauding Speaker Bagbin and the Upper West MPs for what it described as visionary and collaborative leadership aimed at transforming healthcare delivery beyond individual constituencies, he called on development partners and other stakeholders to support the implementation of the proposed interventions.
By Ibrahim Abubakari Wangara
