Sunyani Teaching Hospital needs staff accommodation to support expansion – CEO
The Chief Executive Officer of the Sunyani Teaching Hospital, Dr Cardinal Newton, has called on the government, private investors, and philanthropists to support the construction of staff accommodation to meet the facility’s growing demand.
He says the hospital’s existing accommodation facilities are inadequate for its expanding workforce, especially as management prepares to establish a medical school and projects patient numbers to rise to 160,000 per month by the end of 2026.
Dr Newton made the appeal when the hospital received 20 three-seater steel chairs valued at approximately GH¢25,000 from the Suncity Club UK.
He said while the hospital was gradually expanding its infrastructure and services, staff accommodation remained a major challenge that could undermine its transformation plans.
“If today any company comes and says, ‘Oh, we are going to build accommodation’, that's one major problem. Accommodation for staff,” he said.
According to him, some health professionals who would otherwise be interested in working at the facility are discouraged by the difficulty of finding suitable accommodation close to the hospital.
He noted that the hospital had available land for accommodation development and was open to partnerships, including Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) arrangements.
Dr Newton said resolving the accommodation challenge was particularly important as the hospital anticipated the establishment of a medical school, which would increase the demand for additional personnel and infrastructure.
He urged government and other stakeholders to accelerate plans to make the proposed medical school a reality while ensuring that the necessary facilities were developed ahead of its establishment.
The CEO also disclosed that the government had made commitments towards "the construction of a dialysis centre, endoscopy centre and oncology centre, with preliminary assessments already undertaken".
However, he stressed that staff welfare and accommodation must receive equal attention.
Dr Newton further appealed to individuals, corporate organisations and philanthropists to support the hospital with equipment and other essential resources, emphasising that such contributions would help improve healthcare delivery and reduce the financial burden on management.
On patient numbers, Dr Newton said the hospital had recorded significant growth since 2023, rising from approximately 90,000 patients monthly during its days as the Bono Regional Hospital to between 120,000 and 130,000 currently.
He projected that the figure could reach 160,000 per month by the end of 2026, attributing the increase to growing public confidence in the facility.
He said the hospital now received referrals from several parts of the country, including Western North, as well as neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire.
The increasing numbers, he added, had placed considerable pressure on existing facilities, including seating arrangements for patients and their relatives.
The donation by Suncity Club UK is expected to help address some of these challenges.
President of the association, Solomon Boateng, said the donation was a deliberate effort by members, most of whom hail from Sunyani but are currently based in the United Kingdom, to contribute to the development of their hometown.
He said the club chose the teaching hospital because it also serves patients referred from beyond Sunyani and the Bono Region.
He encouraged other associations and individuals to support development initiatives in their communities, stressing that no contribution was too small.
Chief Executive Officer of Suncity Radio, Ransford Antwi, commended the club for the gesture, describing it as timely and a welcome relief to the hospital.
He expressed optimism that the donation would inspire further support for healthcare and other development needs in the Bono Region.
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