Bolgatanga, March 30, GNA - Mr Mark Woyongo, Upper East Regional Minister, has appealed to Ministry of Health to reactivate the abandoned Bolgatanga Polyclinic project begun about 20 years ago to ease pressure on the inadequate qualified medical personnel at the Upper East Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga.

He called for the institution of a special incentive package for medical personnel working in rural areas and introduction of a scheme for specialists from teaching hospitals to visit the Region periodically to assist in quality health care delivery. Mr Woyongo made the appeal when interacting with medical personnel, nurses and other health workers during a visit to the Upper East Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga as part of a familiarisation tour of government institutions in the Region at the weekend. He commended personnel of the Cuban Medical Brigade for their immeasurable contribution towards improvement of the health status of the people, and urged Ghanaian health workers to emulate their spirit of sacrifice.

There are currently eight of them serving in the hospital. Mr Woyongo commended staff of the hospital for continuing to give of their best in spite of the numerous constraints confronting them, and said government would not relent in its efforts to improve their working conditions.

He pledged to launch a special appeal to citizens from the area residing outside the country for equipment and logistic support for the hospital.

Dr Aduko Amiah, Medical Director in charge of the hospital, said currently there were five Ghanaian medical personnel and 80 nurses at post and would need about 250 nurses for the hospital. He said inadequate medical personnel continued to be the biggest obstacle hindering health care delivery in the Region, and called for the creation of favourable conditions to entice qualified personnel to work in the area.

Dr Amiah called for the improvement of water and electricity supply to the hospital, and urged the Regional Co-ordinating Council to intervene for a compensation package for the land owners to save the hospital administration from further embarrassment. Mr Woyongo later visited Bolgatanga Polytechnic at Sumbrungu, where he was conducted round by the Rector, Professor Paul B. Tanzubil. At separate meetings with staff and students of the Polytechnic, he said government was committed to polytechnic education in the country.

"Polytechnics are training grounds for quality middle-level manpower and vital to national development," he said. Mr Woyongo urged the staff to impart useful knowledge that would enable the students contribute to the nation's socio-economic advancement, and called on the students to use dialogue to seek redress to their grievances rather than resorting to strikes and wanton destruction of valuable property on campus.

He appealed to students from conflict areas not to get involved in violence, but rather act as messengers of peace in their communities. "Our Government has several useful plans that can turn this country around soon but without the needed peace and tranquillity we cannot achieve much," he said.

Professor Tanzubil urged Mr Woyongo to intervene to get the GET Fund expedite payments to the contractor working on the institution's library complex to complete the project.