Petr Pavel (in Kente dress) and Kwabena Mintah Akandoh (next to his R)
President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, and Ghana’s Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, have commissioned the Kpone Hospital, located in the Kpone Katamanso Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.
The commissioning ceremony, held on April 9, 2025, was attended by key dignitaries including the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Akweley Ocloo; Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea; and the Member of Parliament for the area, Joseph Akuerteh, among others.
Addressing the gathering, Minister Akandoh described the commissioning as a “milestone achievement in our collective efforts to enhance access to quality healthcare for every Ghanaian.”
“The Kpone Municipal Hospital represents more than brick and mortar. It symbolizes our vision of health-led development,” he said.
“We are committed to completing and operationalizing all hospital projects across the country. We do not believe in cutting ribbons for show or abandoning projects started by previous governments for political gains.”
He also announced the introduction of a free primary healthcare initiative aimed at eliminating financial barriers to basic healthcare access.
The newly commissioned hospital is equipped with an Outpatient Department, including a Public Health Wing, a Surgical Suite, a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, a 40-bed inpatient block, a Laboratory, Pharmacy, X-ray Unit, and other essential facilities. It also features modern medical equipment, a one-year maintenance plan, and a staff training component.
The project was executed by VAMED Health Projects CZ s.r.o., an international leader in health infrastructure development.
Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Akweley Ocloo, hailed the event as a bold step toward achieving the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goal on universal health coverage.
“This development moves us closer to our goal of ensuring that no Ghanaian, regardless of location, is denied access to healthcare,” she said. “It reflects the reset agenda of this government under the able leadership of H.E. John Dramani Mahama.”
Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, highlighted the facility’s potential impact on local communities.
“For too long, patients have had to travel long distances in search of care. This facility will bridge that gap and bring healthcare closer to the people,” he said.
In a heartfelt speech, President Petr Pavel reflected on his first visit to Ghana two decades ago.
“If someone had told me then that I’d return 20 years later to open a hospital funded by my country, I’d have thought they had drunk too much,” he joked. “But here we are. I can think of nothing more universally good than opening a hospital. It is my hope that this facility will serve not just the people of Kpone, but anyone who walks through its doors in need.”
The Kpone Hospital is one of twelve modern medical facilities being constructed under an initiative that began during the tenure of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The project was financed with €71.5 million secured from Erste Group Bank AG and Česká Spořitelna a.s., backed by an €8.6 million export credit guarantee from EGAP—the Export Guarantee and Insurance Corporation of the Czech Republic.
AM/KA
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