The Health Minster, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, has indicated that his ministry is engaging the Ministry of Energy to make available electricity to power the Ashanti Regional Hospital.

According to him, the electric power supply is the major challenge in retraining the operationalization of the 250-bed regional hospital.

He made it known during his inspection of the facility to access the level of progress of work on the project site in Sawua in the Bosomtwe District.

The Sawua hospital is one of eight health facilities constructed by Eurojet De-Invest, an Egyptian investment company.

The facility has 43 medical and non-medical buildings, a 60-kilometre internal road network, 10 theatres, dental, orthopaedic, urology and andrology specialist clinics, and a 36-body capacity mortuary.

It also has 20-unit staff accommodation, a 150-car park, an ambulance station, and housing for lactating mothers, with the infrastructure sited on a 12,500 square-metre area.

It is equipped with sophisticated machines that will enable it to also serve as a referral centre, with the laboratories, pharmacies and other complementary services making it a complete healthcare service destination.

However, the hospital is yet to be commissioned to reduce pressure on the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) which is the second-largest health referral centre.

This is a result of the unavailability of electric power to run the facility.

Speaking to the media during his inspection, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu said, “we are talking to the energy minister, we are looking for some extra money to be able to do that one. I believe it won’t take long.”

The Minister added: “Here is virtually completed. All equipment are in place. We are not bringing in any new things. We are only waiting for constant continuous power such that we can run the machines after commissioning and then we will have a full-fledged Ashanti Regional Hospital, Sawua, so that the intention is to offload the pressure on KATH.”

The electric power supply is a major restraining factor to the operationalization of the hospital, the government is also working hard to ensure that roads linking to the hospital are constructed to make the facility accessible to, all according to the Kwaku Agyemang- Manu.