Accra, July 29, GNA - Vice President John Dramani Mahama would launch the Ghana Eight Number Hospitals Project at Wa in the Upper West Regional on Saturday, July 31.

In addition, he would cut the sod for the construction and equipping of a new 160-bed hospital at the New Upper West Regional Hospital.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Accra said the project was part of efforts by the Ministry to bring health to the doorsteps of the citizenry across the country.

The Project has been conceived to respond to the strategic objective of the Ministry's Five-Year Programme of work to strengthen health systems' capacity to expand, manage and sustain high coverage of services.

The Ghana Eight Number Hospitals project; is a concessionary credit from EuroGet De-Invest S.A. of Egypt and would cost 339 million dollars.

The statement said the project would respond to current growing urbanization challenges in order to decongest the teaching hospitals, address demands on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and increase access to health services with emphasis on areas with gaps and in addition, address the health related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with focus on maternal health.

It includes two state-of-the-art Regional and six District Hospitals; these are the 160-bed Regional Hospital at Wa, a 250-bed Ashanti Regional Hospital at Kumasi; a 60-bed Ahafo Ano North District Hospital at Tepa.

The rest each with the same capacity are at Wenchi in the Wenchi Municipality of Brong Ahafo Region, Madina/Adenta in Adenta Municipality in Greater Accra Region, Salaga in East Gonja District of Northern Region, Konongo-Odumasi in Asante Akim North Municipality in Ashanti Region and Twifo-Praso in Twifo-Heman-Lower Denkyira District in the Central Region.

The statement said the strategic objective emphasised on the creation and expansion of capabilities in the health system in order to fill the capacity and service gaps.

It would also improve clinic and organisational performance to promote and improve health care delivery in the country's MDGs.

"It is the hope of the Ministry that after the construction of these hospitals every Ghanaian in every part of the country would never be denied health care which is the vision of the Minister for Health," the statement added.