By Samuel Akumatey, GNA
Accra, July 11, GNA – Professor John Owusu Gyapong, Vice Chancellor of the Ho University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) has appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to help address the myriads of challenges facing the University.
He noted that the plight of old universities paled in comparison with the challenges new ones had to manage, and appealed for « special » funding to enable those in the latter category sink their roots.
Professor Gyapong made the appeal when President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who was on a three day tour of the Volta Region visited the main campus of the University at Sokode Lokoe in near Ho.
He said although the student population of the University had reached 3,500, only infrastructure for one out of the seven schools had been built, and that the gravity of the deficit on academic activities were unbearable.
The Vice Chancellor said the situation at the Hohoe campus was worse, and lamented the bad roads serving all its campuses as well as the high utility bills.
Professor Gyapong said students had been burdened with accommodation needs as the Institution only had a 96 bed hostel unit for students, and 15 housing units for its 260 senior staff.
He said compensations on the University’s 702 acre property remained unpaid, and that the activities of affected land owners continued to affect its serene academic environment, and appealed to the President for help.
The Vice Chancellor said UHAS was on a steady climb towards a 10,000 student population, and asked for prompt interventions including the conversion of the Volta Regional Hospital into a Teaching Hospital to meet demand.
President Akufo Addo said Universal Health Coverage was a priority for government, and considered the University and other health institutions a major component.
He said the Finance Ministry was working on the land compensation, and that a counterpart funding of seven million USD for the construction of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, and the central administration under phase two of the China Grant project would be ready by October.
The President further revealed that Cabinet had approved the Bill to convert the Regional Hospital, and encouraged the University to continue to focus on its core responsibilities.
The President earlier inspected an ongoing laboratory complex project, and a block for the School of Pharmacy.
KK/AD
