Wa, Aug 1, GNA - The Chiefs and people of Upper West Region has commended government for providing them with a regional hospital in Wa.

Alhaji Issahaku Salia, Upper West Regional Minister, made the commendation on behalf of the chiefs and people at a durbar, to mark the sod cutting of the regional hospital

He said since the creation of the region two decades ago, the Wa Municipal Hospital had served as its regional hospital, which resulted in the limited facilities being over stretched due to increase in population.

Alhaji Salia said the hospital would serve as a referral health facility for the people in the area.

"At long last, the dream of the people for a regional hospital has materialized with the launch of the Ghana Number 8 Hospital Project and sod cutting ceremony in Wa by His Excellency the Vice President. The Chiefs and people of the region are sincerely appreciative and grateful to the government for the facility", he said.

He however reminded government that the Lambussie/Karni, Sissala West, Wa East and Wa West Districts in the region have no hospitals but were still treating their sick people at health centres and clinics.

Alhaji Salia urged government to consider upgrading structures in those districts to enable them to become full-fledged hospitals, to help bring quality health care services to the doorsteps of the people.

He said it was his hope that the regional hospital would serve as a training centre for students from the University for Development Studies Medical School.

Dr. Alexis Nang-Beifubah, Upper West Regional Director of Health Service, identified inadequate human resource and infrastructure, as well as obsolete equipment, as some of the challenges impeding the provision of quality healthcare delivery in the region.

He said doctor/patient ratio in the region stood at one doctor to 75,000 patients, while many of the nurses, especially midwives, were aged between 55 and above and would soon go on retirement.

He said the establishment of a regional hospital would help improve those challenges and urged the people to think through the human resource difficulties and work hard to make the people benefit from the project.

Dr Edward Gyader, a Lecturer at the University for Development Studies Medical School, appealed to doctors to accept transfers to the region.