Minority Members of Parliament on Parliament’s Health Committee are calling for the immediate operationalisation of the over 500-bed Afari Military Hospital in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of the Ashanti Region, which they say has been left abandoned and deteriorating for years.
The call came during a visit by the MPs, led by Ranking Member Nana Ayew Afriyie, as part of a tour of neglected health facilities in the region following concerns over pressure on health infrastructure, including ongoing challenges at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
However, the visit took an unexpected turn when military personnel stationed at the Afari Military Hospital confronted the lawmakers and residents who accompanied them, questioning their presence on the premises.
The soldiers reportedly insisted that the group had entered the facility without prior clearance, leading to a tense exchange between both sides.
The MPs, on the other hand, maintained that the visit was part of their oversight responsibility and a necessary step to assess the condition of a long-abandoned national asset.
According to them, the hospital—designed as a major over 500-bed facility—has been left overgrown and unused for years, despite growing demand for healthcare services.
Speaking after the confrontation, Nana Ayew Afriyie acknowledged the tension but defended the purpose of the visit.
“Nobody says these things are right, but it is necessary to put pressure on government. It is a tool for demonstration, a tool to express your feeling,” he said.
He stressed that the Ashanti Region deserves equal attention in the distribution of national infrastructure, particularly in the health sector.
“Just as other regions matter, Ashanti also matters,” he added.
The Minority MPs say their broader tour is aimed at drawing attention to abandoned health facilities across the country and pushing for their urgent completion and use, especially at a time when healthcare delivery is under strain.
The incident has since sparked renewed public debate about access protocols to state facilities and the long-standing issue of abandoned infrastructure projects in Ghana’s health sector.
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