The immediate past Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North Constituency, Hon. Gifty Twum-Ampofo, has donated 50 bags of cement and four (4) truckloads of chippings to the Akyem Tafo Government Hospital in the Eastern Region.
The donation is aimed at supporting the hospital’s perimeter fencing project—a key step toward addressing ongoing concerns about land encroachment and improving security for staff, patients, and hospital property.
According to Hon. Twum-Ampofo, a former Deputy Minister of Education, her attention was drawn to the hospital’s challenges through a news item aired on Peace FM. Touched by the plight of the facility, she responded swiftly with the donation to help kickstart the fencing initiative. Her gesture reflects her continued commitment to the well-being of her constituents and her dedication to enhancing infrastructure and healthcare services in the region.
Akyem Tafo Government Hospital, which began decades ago as a modest health clinic, has evolved significantly over time. As the local population expanded, the clinic was upgraded to a fully-fledged hospital, now serving thousands of residents in the municipality and beyond.
Despite its progress, the hospital continues to grapple with major infrastructural challenges—especially within the female ward, maternity unit, and its unfenced perimeter. These challenges, hospital management explains, stem largely from limited Internally Generated Funds (IGF), which have constrained the hospital’s ability to undertake critical development projects.
At present, the hospital boundary is marked only by hedges, trees, and flowers—an arrangement that, according to management, poses security threats to both staff and patients, as well as to the hospital’s physical assets.
Mr. Ebenezer Takyi Amankwah, the Hospital Administrator, underscored the urgent need for infrastructure improvements, including the construction of additional wards and a secure perimeter fence. He stressed that such interventions would improve safety, enhance access to healthcare, and address key concerns affecting patients and staff.
He also raised alarm over the growing issue of patients absconding without settling their medical bills. Mr. Amankwah explained that many of these patients escape through the hospital’s unsecured flower fence. Most absconders, he said, are uninsured individuals, and their actions are leading to significant financial losses for the facility. He added that the lack of a proper fence also leaves the hospital vulnerable to theft.
The Administrator expressed his profound appreciation to Hon. Gifty Twum-Ampofo for her timely intervention, describing her donation as a substantial contribution toward resolving the hospital’s fencing challenge. He made a passionate appeal to government institutions, NGOs, and philanthropic individuals—both locally and internationally—to support the hospital with additional materials and resources to complete the fencing project. He emphasized the need to turn the hospital into a safe haven for healing, where lives and property are protected.
In an interaction with sections of the media, Hon. Gifty Twum-Ampofo explained that the hospital’s limited IGF made it difficult to embark on the fencing project, which prompted her intervention. She called on residents of the Abuakwa North Constituency and other well-meaning individuals to support the initiative so healthcare workers can carry out their duties without security-related distractions.
Hon. Twum-Ampofo also highlighted her track record in the health sector during her tenure as Member of Parliament. Some of her key contributions included:
Renovation and equipping of CHPS compounds in Ati, Ettu Krom, Aweaben, Kukurantumi, and Akyem Old Tafo.
Provision of medical equipment, mechanized boreholes, and washrooms for staff and patients.
Donation of televisions, thermometers, and auxiliary medical supplies to the Akyem Tafo Government Hospital.
Supply of hospital beds to Hawa Memorial Hospital and the Sokode Juaso CHPS compound.
Support for the Akyem Tafo Municipal Health Directorate with office equipment and personal protective equipment (PPEs).
These interventions, she emphasized, were aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery in the Abuakwa North Constituency.
She concluded by urging Ghanaians to enroll in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which she said would ease the financial burden of accessing medical care and reduce the risk of patients absconding due to unpaid bills.
