Techiman – The Chief Executive Officer of the Holy Family Catholic Hospital, Christopher Akanbobnaab, has disclosed that the facility is losing an alarming GH¢500,000 every year due to services rendered to patients who are unable to pay.
This situation, he said, is threatening the hospital’s survival and its mission to serve the poor and vulnerable.
“These losses are not sustainable. This amount could put up a big, solid building or pay for critical infrastructure repairs—but instead, we’re watching the facility deteriorate because we’ve been absorbing these costs for three consecutive years,” Mr. Akanbobnaab lamented during a monitoring visit by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health.
He described the financial burden as a silent crisis undermining the hospital’s efforts to transition into a fully-fledged tertiary healthcare institution. He issued a passionate appeal for immediate government intervention to help stabilize and develop the hospital, which has grown beyond its original district-level infrastructure.
He said, “We simply can’t get any form of reinvestment. And this is not the story that’s out there. I’m asking for advocacy—for support. Government must step in and build the infrastructure so we can continue serving the disadvantaged.”
The visit by the Committee forms part of a nationwide monitoring exercise aimed at assessing conditions in healthcare facilities and engaging directly with regional health administrators, staff and management of Government-sponsored hospitals.
The team led by Dr. Sabestian Sandaare included Professor Titus Beyuo, the MP for Lambussi,e and Emmanuel Kwaku Boam, the member for Pru East also visited the St Anne Hospital in Damongo, Sunyani Teaching Hospital, and the Goaso Municipal Hospital. Two other teams toured the northern and southern belts respectively.
Founded in 1953 through a unique partnership between the Catholic Church and the local traditional authority, the Holy Family Catholic Hospital has transformed into a vital referral center for the Bono East Region and parts of the Northern, Savannah, and Ashanti Regions.
“This is a story of faith and community collaboration. That same spirit still drives us,” Mr. Akanbobnaab said.
With 330 beds and a workforce of over 1,160, including 26 medical specialists, the hospital now plays a central role in clinical care, medical training, and health research—hallmarks of a tertiary-level institution.
The Holy Family Hospital is accredited by the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons for postgraduate training and collaborates with the University for Development Studies (UDS) and the Ghana College of Nursing and Midwifery.
The CEO disclsoed that Holy Family is one of the first regional hospitals accredited to train specialists and stressed it’s a no-brainer achievement that proves the facility has the capacity.
Mr. Akanbobnaab also credited international collaborations for boosting services. Partnerships with Operation International (USA), German Rotary Volunteer Doctors, and the University of Keele (UK) have enabled the hospital to offer free eye surgeries, neurosurgical procedures, and laparoscopic training.
“We serve the poor and marginalized without losing our Christian identity,” he stated proudly.
Despite the progress, Mr. Akanbobnaab stated four pressing challenges: Inadequate Infrastructure including disconnected, outdated buildings that hinder efficient care and learning; Human Resource Gaps – Professionals leave due to delayed government clearance; Underfunded NHIA Tariffs – Reimbursements fail to cover diagnostic and emergency costs; and Uncompensated Emergency Care – Road traffic accident (RTA) victims often come uninsured, and the hospital foots the bill.
According to him, RTA victims are on their own hence the facility needs financial protection for emergency cases, especially along major highways.
He appealed for decoupling diagnostics from NHIA’s bundled services, noting that women needing mammograms or histopathology tests often face prohibitive out-of-pocket costs, leading to treatment delays and worse outcomes.
Mr. Akanbobnaab called on the government to adopt and invest in one of the hospital’s proposed Centers of Excellence, such as a specialist outpatient clinic, surgical center, or teaching block.
“Let’s make history together. Government can engrave its name in this institution’s legacy by supporting just one of these projects,” he urged.