BY Daniel Bampoe
The chronic challenge of inadequate accommodation for medical professionals in rural Ghana came into sharp focus at Enyiresi in the Atiwa East District of the Eastern Region, as a newly completed doctors’ bungalow was officially commissioned at the Enyiresi Government Hospital.
The two-storey, self-contained facility, provided through the initiative of the area’s Member of Parliament, Abena Osei-Asare, is expected to significantly enhance staff welfare and improve healthcare delivery in the
The facility was formally handed over on December 19, 2025, marking a major milestone for the hospital, which has for years struggled to attract and retain doctors due to poor housing conditions.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Osei-Asare said the project was conceived in response to repeated concerns raised by health professionals who were either reluctant to accept postings to Enyiresi or could not stay long because of the lack of decent accommodation.
According to the MP, housing remains one of the most critical but overlooked factors in rural healthcare delivery.
She noted that without proper living conditions, even well-equipped facilities struggle to operate at full capacity, as doctors often decline postings or request transfers shortly after arrival.
The new bungalow, she said, is therefore a practical intervention aimed at sustaining medical services in the area.
Placing the project within a broader historical context, Abena Osei-Asare highlighted the long-standing commitment of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to the development of the Enyiresi Government Hospital.
She recalled that under former President John Agyekum Kufuor, the facility was upgraded to district hospital status, laying the foundation for expanded healthcare services in Atiwa East.
Subsequent administrations, particularly under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, further invested in the hospital through infrastructure expansion, including accident and childcare centres, which are yet to be commissioned.
The MP also revealed that beyond infrastructure, she had intervened administratively to strengthen the hospital’s workforce.
She disclosed that more than 50 staff members who were previously being paid through the hospital’s Internally Generated Funds (IGF) were absorbed onto the government payroll during the previous NPP administration, easing the financial burden on the facility and improving job security for workers.
Despite these gains, Abena Osei-Asare used the occasion to call on the central government to increase funding to the health sector, particularly in the area of staff accommodation.
She warned that the problem is not limited to Atiwa East, citing reports of doctors refusing postings in parts of the country, including the Upper West Region, due largely to the absence of suitable housing.
Receiving the facility on behalf of the hospital, the Medical Superintendent, Dr. Ebenezer Osei Mensah, said the accommodation project resolves one of the hospital’s most pressing operational difficulties.
However, he drew attention to emerging challenges, particularly severe congestion at the maternity unit, driven by a steady increase in the number of deliveries recorded at the hospital.
Dr. Osei Mensah described the situation as worrying, noting that limited space has, at times, forced some patients to sleep on the floor.
He therefore appealed to government authorities to expedite the completion and commissioning of the maternity unit to ease pressure on staff and improve patient care.
With the commissioning of the new doctors’ bungalow, stakeholders believe the Enyiresi Government Hospital is better positioned to attract and retain qualified medical professionals.
