He said the use of the institution’s internally generated fund (IGF) of more than GHC2 million to construct three hostel facilities at the cost of GHC667,000 each coupled with the construction of five mechanised boreholes valued at GHC100,000 and the procurement of a 16-seater capacity Toyota minibus at GHC240,000 “is highly commendable”.

The three hostels, named after Nana Ansah Adu Baah II, the Paramount Chief of Yamfo Traditional Area, Nana Ampem Darkoa Kyerewaa II, the Paramount Queen-mother of the area and Apostle Professor Kwadwo Nimfour Opoku Onyinah, a former Chairman of the Church of Pentecost who is an illustrious son of Yamfo, have a total student capacity of 540 at 180 each.

Mr Boakye gave the commendation when he was speaking at the inauguration of the hostels, the bus and the boreholes at Yamfo in the Tano North Municipality of the Ahafo Region.

Health University

He announced the Ahafo Region had nine health training institutions comprising eight nursing and midwifery training colleges and a college of health, saying the region must thus benefit from the presence of the institutions in terms of training of more health professionals to be able to meet its health manpower needs.

According to Mr Boakye, “some health facilities like Community Health and Planning Services (CHPS) Compounds did not even have qualified health personnel such as Physician Assistants to man them” because of the inadequate number of health staff in the region.

He, therefore, announced the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) had instituted a health education policy for the Municipal/District Assemblies in the region to sponsor five brilliant, but needy students annually to pursue any health programme of their choice in any of the nine institutions.

That, Mr Boakye, added would augment the government’s effort in training and supplying the needed number of health workers for the region.

He said in the medium to long-term the region could boast of the availability of adequate health personnel of diverse backgrounds, including general nursing practitioners, health promoters, midwives, physician assistants, community health nurses and laboratory assistants.

Mr Boakye pledged the commitment of the RCC to collaborate with the Regional Health Directorate and other stakeholders to offer the necessary support to the Director, Management and Board for the College to attain its vision of becoming a public university in the Ahafo Region.

Dr Mohammed Ibrahim, the Director of the College, earlier in a welcoming address stated there was a dire need for the construction of the three hostels to reduce the institution’s accommodation challenges.

He explained from the establishment of the College to last year when Management converted some of its limited lecture halls to hostel accommodation, all students were being accommodated in rented premises scattered across the length and breadth of the Yamfo town.

Dr Ibrahim said consequently, the College spent huge sums of money on rent to accommodate the students, stating that the rent renewals for this academic year were about GHC384,000.

Over the years, the Management was left with no option but to subsidize the accommodation fees of students because it could not charge students beyond approved fees, he emphasised.

College of Health, Yamfo (CoHY)

Dr Ibrahim stated CoHY, unlike other Ministry of Health training institutions only offered Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree programmes and stressed, that the College intended to maintain its tertiary status to become a model Health University with its teaching hospital and set-up centres.

Dr Kwabena Boateng Boakye, the Ahafo Regional Director of Health Services also in a remark lauded the effort of Dr Ibrahim and his Management team for the progress being made by the College and promised to offer free tuition services as and when necessary as his contribution for the advancement of the College.