The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah on Thursday, September 5, 2024, joined the Chief Executive of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly Elijah Adansi-Bonah to commission a new health center in the Obuasi Municipality.

The project constructed by the Obuasi Municipal Assembly with funds from mineral royalties is expected to take care of the health needs of the people around the Obuasi Central Market and beyond.

Constructed at the cost of 1.6 million Ghana cedis ( project and equipment), the 2- storey health center is to replace the defunct Jemima Maternity Home which hitherto provided health care services to traders in the Obuasi central business district and neighboring areas.

The modern health facility called the Adansi-Bonah Health Center was named after the Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive.

It has the following facilities; outpatient department, consulting R1, Consulting R2, pharmacy, store, female ward, male ward, maternity ward, 7No. washrooms, laboratory, counseling unit, office, 1 bedroom flat nurses accommodation, and washrooms.

Speaking at the ceremony, Simon Osei-Mensah commended the Obuasi Municipal Assembly for putting its share of the mineral royalties into productive use adding that prioritizing the healthcare needs of the people with proceeds from minerals royalties is exemplary and needs to be applauded.

He said prior to the NPP government coming into power in 2017, the Ashanti Region was rated low in the pecking order in terms of national health infrastructure but due to the efforts of the government, the region has witnessed a significant improvement in health facilities.

He mentioned that the government has so far completed a number of health facilities it inherited.

These include the Konongo, Tepa, Bekwai, Fomena, Kumawu, and Sawua hospitals.

Simon Osei-Mensah also listed a plethora of health facilities the government has initiated and completed.

These include the Amansie West, Drobonso, and Suame Municipal Polyclinics as well as the Twedie and Ahafo Ano South East hospitals among others.

He said the government through various interventions in the health center has demonstrated its willingness to support the health care needs of the people to have a healthy society.

According to Elijah Adansi-Bonah, the construction of the health facility lends credence to the assembly's judicious use of mineral royalties contrary to reports issued by the Center for Democratic Development on the impact of gold mining royalties on development projects in some mining districts.

The report suggested that the Obuasi Municipal Assembly could not account for projects constructed using mineral royalties and lack of stakeholder engagements.

Adansi-Bonah said the report was false and further mentioned the Kokoteasua Experimental School building and Sanso Nurses quarters as other projects that are funded through the assembly's share of the mineral royalties.

He recounted the assembly's relentless resolve to put up the facility at a former sanitation site.

"We had a torrid time during the construction stage due to the nature of the land but since we were committed to ensuring that we provide health facilities for our traders, we did not relent in our efforts," he said.

Martin Safo Osei, the Municipal Health Director lauded the efforts of the Assembly in putting up the facility.

He said the facility furnished with quality equipment will further enhance effective health care delivery in the Obuasi Municipality.

He assured them that his management would see it it that the facility is properly maintained to stand the test of time.

The ceremony was graced by officials of the Ghana Health Service, traditional authorities, DCE for Obuasi East, representatives from the Stool lands, AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine, and party faithful.