By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, June 20, GNA – The Church of Pentecost has commissioned a state-of-the-art 35-bed hospital in Bolgatanga to provide quality and accessible healthcare services to residents of the Upper East Region and surrounding communities.
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) hospital is equipped with advanced medical technologies and facilities tailored to meet the healthcare needs of the region and the entire northern Ghana.
The facility comprises a fully equipped Outpatient Department (OPD) with an emergency unit, male and female wards, consulting rooms, a delivery ward, dispensary, surgical theatre, diagnostic laboratory, public health unit, doctor’s office, and other essential amenities.
The facility, named Pentecost Hospital – Bolgatanga, forms part of the Church’s wider social intervention programme under its “Possessing the Nations” agenda, launched in 2018, which seeks to transform society through principles and values of God.
To this end, the Church has been investing in critical sectors such as health, education, water and sanitation, and security.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony in Bolgatanga, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, said the Church’s decision to build the hospital in Bolgatanga was born out of a tragic car accident in 2018 which occurred on the outskirts of Bolgatanga.
The accident, he said, involved a pastor (Pastor John Ofori of Wiaga District) and his family, and a newly posted minister to Siniensi (Pastor Godwin Kpobi), which exposed critical gaps in emergency healthcare within the region.
“As the urgency to seek healthcare services for these victims heightened, they were referred from Bolgatanga Hospital to Tamale Teaching Hospital and later to Duayaw Nkwanta Catholic Hospital.
“The journey took an exhausting sixteen hours. This traumatic experience, coupled with the high disparity in referral centres and the increasing population vis-à-vis the limited health facilities, propelled the urgency to construct this hospital.”
He commended the Teshie-Nungua Area of the Church, under the leadership of Apostle Wilberforce Nkrumah, and other departments and members of the Church for their efforts in realising the project.
“Currently, the Church operates an impressive network of 12 healthcare facilities, including four hospitals and eight clinics, catering to more than 234,516 outpatients annually. With a committed staff of 1,199, these facilities deliver crucial healthcare services to our communities.
“As we speak, five additional health facilities, including a Specialist Hospital in Accra, are at various stages of completion. Furthermore, just in 2024, the Church generously contributed GH₵10,729,795.98 toward healthcare support for its members at various levels of the Church,” he said.
He added that apart from the health interventions, the Church had invested heavily in education, borehole drilling, correctional and police infrastructure, and skills training across the country.
Dr Peter Kwame Yeboah, Executive Director of the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), commended The Church of Pentecost for demonstrating dedication and God’s love in supporting healthcare delivery.
He explained that the facility would help boost healthcare delivery and bridge the inequalities between urban and rural areas, further contributing to accelerating Ghana’s efforts to achieve universal health coverage and primary healthcare.
In a speech read on his behalf, Mr Donatus Atanga Akamugri, the Upper East Regional Minister, lauded The Church of Pentecost, describing the facility as “a vital health initiative that will serve as a cornerstone for improved healthcare.”
Naba Yelzoya Kosom Asaga II, Paramount Chief of Nangodi and member of the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs, urged the management of the facility to not only ensure a proper maintenance culture but also the health workers to be professional in providing hope and healing to clients who visit the facility.
GNA
Edited by Fatima Anafu-Astanga/Christian Akorlie