The Technical Adviser to the Ministry of Health, Dr Koku Awoonor Williams, has disclosed that he nearly cancelled a medical outreach programme in the Nkwanta South Municipality of the Oti Region due to the persistent conflict in the area.
According to Dr Awoonor Williams, the recurring unrest has created a dangerous environment for health workers, residents, and visitors, raising serious security concerns for any team entering the municipality to provide essential services.
He noted that the risk level was significant enough to make cancellation a real consideration, despite the urgent healthcare needs of communities in the area.
Dr Awoonor Williams, who previously worked at the Nkwanta Clinic in 1990 and later played a role in its transition into a hospital, expressed deep concern about the growing instability.
He said the frequent disturbances are gradually making the municipality unwelcoming to outsiders, including medical personnel who must travel into the community to deliver specialised care.
Reflecting on the municipality’s past, he described Nkwanta as a once-vibrant town that is now losing momentum in development.
He warned that continued conflict threatens not only public safety but also progress, deepening hardship for ordinary people and undermining efforts to improve healthcare delivery and other social services.
He therefore appealed to all feuding factions to lay down their arms and commit to dialogue, emphasising that peace is a prerequisite for development.
Dr Awoonor Williams urged community leaders, stakeholders, and residents to embrace peaceful resolution mechanisms to restore stability and create an environment where critical interventions—such as medical outreach programmes—can be carried out without fear.
He stressed that sustainable peace would allow Nkwanta South to regain its footing, attract support services, and focus on improving livelihoods and health outcomes for its people.
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