The Nkwanta South Municipal Hospital in the Oti Region is facing increasing pressure as growing patient numbers at its Out-Patient Department (OPD) continue to strain its ageing infrastructure, prompting calls for urgent rehabilitation.
Originally established as the Nkwanta Clinic several decades ago, the facility was subsequently upgraded to a district hospital and later attained its current status as a municipal hospital. Despite its expanded role in healthcare delivery, much of the infrastructure has remained unchanged, raising concerns about its ability to meet rising demand for medical services.
Despite these successive administrative elevations, the facility has not undergone any major infrastructural redevelopment.
A visit to the hospital by journalists painted a disturbing picture of neglect and deteriorating infrastructure. Several buildings within the facility have fallen into a state of disrepair, with broken or collapsed doors and window frames evident in many of the hospital’s blocks.
In some sections, vegetation has overgrown parts of the walls, further reflecting years of limited maintenance.
The hospital’s deteriorating condition is further reflected in visible structural defects, including cracked walls and damaged floor surfaces in several departments. Reports also indicate that some wards and service blocks experience severe leakages during heavy rains, creating difficult conditions for both patients and healthcare staff and disrupting the delivery of healthcare services.
In addition to its deteriorating infrastructure, the hospital is facing a critical shortage of medical equipment. Health professionals at the facility are reportedly working with outdated tools and limited diagnostic resources, a situation that is hampering their ability to provide timely, efficient, and quality healthcare services.
During a weekend outreach visit to the facility, Technical Adviser to the Ministry of Health, Koku Awoonor-Williams, expressed deep concern about the state of the hospital, describing its condition as well below acceptable international healthcare standards. He stressed the need for urgent interventions to improve infrastructure and service delivery at the facility.
He called on the government to intervene urgently to restore and modernise the facility.
The hospital continues to play a vital role in healthcare delivery within the Nkwanta enclave, providing essential medical services to residents of the municipality and patients from surrounding communities, including those across the border in the Republic of Togo. Its strategic importance to the region highlights the urgent need for rehabilitation and infrastructure improvements to enhance healthcare services for the growing population it serves.
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