For years, healthcare delivery in the Ashanti Region has revolved around a single, overstretched facility: the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH). As the country’s second-largest referral centre, it serves not only Ashanti region, but much of middle and northern Ghana, and even patients from neighbouring countries. The result is chronic congestion, delayed care and mounting pressure on infrastructure and personnel.
This burden persists largely because two critical interventions, the 250-bed Sewua Regional Hospital and the 500-bed Afari Military Hospital remain incomplete under the Euroget De-Invest arrangement. These projects were designed specifically to decongest KATH and expand access to specialised care. Yet, nearly two decades after their conception, they are still not operational.
The Sewua project, initiated in 2008 under the administration of John Agyekum Kufuor, was part of the “Ghana 8 No Hospital Project,” backed by a $339 million facility. Its objective was to strengthen healthcare delivery in the Ashanti Region and reduce the overwhelming pressure on KATH. Likewise, the Afari Military Hospital, which was approved in 2008 and began in 2014 was designed as a 500-bed facility to serve both military personnel and civilians, while easing the load on KATH and the 37 Military Hospital.
Reports indicate that both facilities are over 90 percent complete, requiring only final works and equipment installation. The delays, attributed to financial constraints, contractual challenges, and site-related issues, raise legitimate concerns about execution and prioritisation. It is regrettable that for nearly eighteen years these significant health facilities have remained unfinished, exacerbating the already fragile healthcare situation in the region.
Unlike the Greater Accra Region, which is relatively well-endowed with top-tier state medical facilities, the same cannot be said of Ashanti. The Chronicle does not, therefore, understand why it has taken the state this long to complete projects of such importance.
Why is it easier for Greater Accra region to attract and complete advanced healthcare infrastructure while Ashanti region continues to wait? Is the region becoming a misplaced priority in national health planning? These are not rhetorical questions, they go to the heart of equity in public investment.
The Chronicle has observed a troubling pattern: securing fully completed, functional public infrastructure in the Ashanti Region is increasingly becoming a tall order. This concern is reinforced by the prolonged delay in establishing a teaching hospital for the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
For nearly two decades, His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has consistently appealed to successive governments to prioritise this project. An 800-bed teaching hospital would significantly enhance medical training and healthcare delivery, yet it remains incomplete.
We understand KATH serves as a major national referral centre for at least 13 regions, placing enormous strain on its facilities. It functions as the primary tertiary hospital for Ashanti while receiving referrals from across the middle and northern belts of Ghana.
With a population of over 5.4 million, according to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, Ashanti region is one of Ghana’s most populous regions. Its healthcare demands are substantial and cannot be sustainably managed through a single overburdened facility.
With this development, The Chronicle believes the political class must pay closer attention to the Ashanti Region. Access to quality healthcare is not a privilege but a constitutional right and no region should be left behind.
For years, assurances have been given, yet the projects remain uncompleted. The Chronicle maintains that the time for promises has passed. These facilities must be fully completed, equipped, and commissioned for public use. Eighteen years of delay on critical health infrastructure does not reflect well on governance or national priorities.
The issue is no longer about plans, it is about action.
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