BY Issah Olegor
An abandoned Agenda 111 hospital project at Assin Darmang in the Assin South District of the Central Region has become a symbol of stalled healthcare infrastructure, with the nearly completed facility now overtaken by weeds, erosion and reptiles as residents continue to struggle for access to medical care.
The hospital project, estimated to be about 85 per cent complete, was originally intended to improve healthcare delivery for thousands of residents in the predominantly rural district under government’s flagship Agenda 111 initiative.
However, a recent visit to the site revealed deteriorating structures, idle construction equipment, locked warehouses and overgrown vegetation, raising concerns about the future of the project and the condition of the abandoned facility.
Heavy rainfall has reportedly worsened the situation, carving deep gullies through sections of the compound and causing severe erosion on the sloping terrain due to the absence of drainage systems to manage water run-off.
The neglected structure has also become increasingly dangerous for residents and visitors.
During a visit to the facility, a reporter and an escort reportedly narrowly escaped being bitten by a giant cobra that was coiled near the entrance of the hospital’s morgue.
Witnesses said several other snakes were seen slithering into cracks and thick vegetation around the abandoned structures, while parts of the building have allegedly become hideouts for marijuana smokers and other loiterers.
A group of young men who were reportedly smoking inside one of the rooms rushed out to kill the cobra after it was spotted near the morgue area.
Residents say the abandoned project has become both a safety hazard and a painful reminder of the healthcare difficulties confronting communities in the district.
The Assin South District Chief Executive, Jonathan Birikorang, described the condition of the project as heartbreaking and pledged that efforts would be made to ensure its completion.
According to him, the facility is expected to serve more than 120,000 people within the district once operational.
“Since I assumed office, I have visited the site many times. It is unacceptable that such an important facility could not be completed,” he said.
The DCE expressed optimism that President John Dramani Mahama would include the Assin Darmang hospital among abandoned projects earmarked for completion this year.
He stressed that the district currently lacks a hospital or polyclinic, forcing residents to travel long distances to seek treatment at facilities such as St. Francis Xavier Hospital, Abura-Dunkwa Government Hospital and Asikuma Government Hospital.
According to him, the district’s existing Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds and health centres are inadequate to meet the healthcare needs of the growing population.
“When emergency cases cannot get timely care near home, complications rise and recovery becomes hard,” he said.
The DCE also disclosed that the district’s only ambulance has been out of service for several months, worsening the risks faced by residents, especially pregnant women and accident victims who often require urgent transportation to distant health facilities.
The Assin South District Director of the Ghana Health Service, Susana Bill, also appealed to government to prioritise the completion of the hospital.
She said the facility would significantly improve maternal and child healthcare services, diagnostics, emergency treatment and routine surgeries at the district level.
According to her, the hospital would also reduce pressure on larger referral hospitals currently serving patients from the district and surrounding communities
She however emphasised that completing the physical structure alone would not be enough, stressing the need for trained health personnel, medicines, logistics and functioning ambulance services to ensure effective healthcare delivery.
Traditional authorities have also joined calls for the completion of the project.
Nana Okofo Kwadwo Bi Benti II chief of Assin Darmang described the absence of a district hospital as unfortunate and appealed to government to expedite work on the facility.
Residents from communities including Assin Darmang, Nyankomasi Ahenkro and Homaho expressed frustration over the delays, recounting the challenges involved in transporting sick relatives and women in labour to hospitals in neighbouring districts.
One resident, Madam Matilda Asare Boadu, pleaded with authorities to complete and equip the hospital to save lives.
“Our plea is simple and urgent — finish the hospital, equip and staff it, so that the next mother in labour and the next accident victim will not have to travel long distances before receiving care,” she said.
The Agenda 111 programme was launched to address inequalities in healthcare infrastructure across Ghana through the construction of district and regional hospitals, particularly in underserved areas.
However, delays affecting several projects nationwide have increasingly become the subject of public concern as many communities continue to wait for promised healthcare facilities years after construction began.
