The Krachi East Municipal, established about 19 years ago has no hospital of Municipal status to serve the health needs of the people.
The situation has compelled expectant mothers and other patients who live in the Municipality to seek medical care in any of the 36 health facilities in proximity to the Municipal capital.
The Municipal Health Department as of October 2021 has four health centres, 14 Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Zones with compound, 16 CHPS Zones without compound, a private Clinic and a Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) Clinic.
The expectation of many residents was that Dambai being the regional capital for close to six years, should have gotten either a regional hospital or a polyclinic to handle health situations.
Checks by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) revealed that nearest health facilities were WoraWora Government Hospital, which is about 80 kilometres (km) and the Nkwanta Hospital about 50km away and Kete-Krachi Hospital, some 251km from Dambai.
Nana Kwaku Beyannor II, Chief of Dambai and Nifahene of Chonke Traditional Area, in an interview with GNA, said the health centre at the Municipal capital served a larger population but did not have the capacity to admit patients, compounding the health needs of the people.
He said the area was in anticipation of a hospital and had set aside a vast land with documentation to be designated as Dambai Municipal Hospital.
Nana Beyannor said the delay in construction of a hospital was causing hardship to the people in Dambai and its environs.
He called on the government and Health Ministry to take steps to begin construction of a hospital since Dambai had become a regional capital.
Nana Beyannor said it would go a long way to provide the people with improved access to quality healthcare.
The current population of the Municipal stands at 110,435.
Meanwhile, the government implementation of the Agenda 111 projects, five Districts and Municipal Assemblies without District hospital were beneficiaries to enhance healthcare infrastructure across Oti Region and improve accessibility to quality medical services for the good people in Oti.
Construction of four Districts, out of five are currently underway except Krachi East Municipality with the beneficiary Districts, namely, Krachi Nchumuru, Kadjebi District, Nkwanta North District and Buem District.
Mr Amin Abdul Muttalib, Krachi East Municipal Health Director, in an interview with the GNA, said Krachi East will be giving a regional hospital and not District hospital.
He said all the newly created regions would receive a regional hospital and the projects have not yet started in any of the regions.
Source: Ghana News Agency