Current state of the demolished La General Hospital
Residents of La, a suburb of Greater Accra, have called on the government, that as a matter of urgency, the ultra-modern La General Hospital should be reconstructed to alleviate their plight.
The hospital which serves La, Osu, Teshie, Nungua and its surrounding areas was demolished on March 2, 2020, due to its dilapidating nature.
Later in August 2020, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cut sod for the reconstruction of an ultra-modern hospital which is expected to have a well equipped surgical ward, 4-theatres, a maternity ward and a patients ward for both male and female.
However, checks by media found that the hospital which was razed down last year and was supposed to be completed in 2022 at a cost of $63 million is now a football ground for inhabitants, breeding insects and weeds.
A resident who spoke to GhanaWeb, on anonymity confirmed that the absence of the hospital is grossly affecting them.
He said, “As of now, we’ve not heard anything from them. This has affected everybody here. Taxi driver, sellers and everyone here is suffering because we don’t know where to attend hospital.”
According to them, they have been compelled to travel to distant places like Korle-Bu, Police Hospital or Ridge Hospital to seek medical treatment since the road to the Teshie Hospital remains uncompleted.
“Those of us who do business around has been really affected. I had an accident recently and I wanted to go to the hospital because my house is just close but to my surprise, there was nothing here so you can imagine my pain,” Edward Stay Delase, another inhabitant said.
He added, “They moved us to La Saamo Kpei and it’s very small and they don’t do admissions so we have to go to Police hospital. We really need this hospital to be put up very badly.”
One Jonathan Atukwei, also urged the government not to play politics with the hospital because “It is affecting us. People come from far because we have the best hospital and mortuary. They demolished the thing till date nothing has been done. They did this for politics and now it’s we who are suffering.”
Maa Rebecca, a trader in the area also lamented that “It’s been long overdue. They came to cut the sword in haste but to date, we’ve not seen any progress. We are pleading with the government to do something about it because we are suffering.”
The Chinese company, Poly Changda have been contracted for the redevelopment of the facility which was first built in 1960 and formerly known as the La Polyclinic.
Former United States President, Barack Obama is one of the few heads of states to have visited the La General Hospital in 2009.