On December 5, 2023, Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu Constituency, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, said his constituency has the highest number of health centres in Ghana.
Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, who doubles as the Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament, made the claim when he was speaking on “Ekosiisen,” a political show on Asempa FM. He said this from 2:35:19 to 2:35:49 of the Facebook live stream of the show.
He was speaking about the protest organised by some members of his constituency on December 5, 2023, to register their displeasure on the alleged lease of a supposed sacred site to a private mining firm. The protestors claim the site is where they hunt deer for their annual Aboakyire Festival.
Claim: “Effutu boasts of the highest number of health centres in Ghana.”
Verdict: False
Explanation: Several media outlets have reported that Alexander Afenyo-Markin has engaged in several infrastructure development activities in his constituency.
Reports have indicated that Afenyo-Markin has built and commissioned some health facilities in various communities in his constituency since he became a member of parliament.
In a publication by Daily Graphic Newspaper, Mr Afenyo-Markin said that his constituency has seen more than 60 projects since 2017, which includes health centres.
Number of health facilities in Effutu
According to the data Fact-Check Ghana received from Ghana Health Service, there are 21 health facilities in Effutu Municipal Assembly where the constituency is located. They include the following:
- Trauma & Specialist Hospital
- Winneba Municipal Hospital
- Coast for Christ Hospital
- Otoo Memorial Hospital
- Klimovic Hospital
- Bethel Maternity Home
- University of Education Clinic
- Winneba Health Centre
- Hon. Samuel Owusu Agyei Health Centre
- George Kwame Quansah Health Centre
- Ansaful CHPS
- Nii Ephraim CHPS
- New Winneba CHPS
- Zongo CHPS
- Papa kow Damptse CHPS
- Penkye CHPS
- Akosua Aba CHPS
- Gyangyenadze CHPS
- Essuekyir CHPS
- Gyahadze CHPS
- George Kwame Prah CHPS
Among the 21 health facilities, reports show that Mr Afenyo-Markin built and commissioned the Gyahadze CHPS, the Nii Ephraim CHPS, the Hon. Samuel Owusu Agyei Health Centre and the George Kwame Quansah Health Centre.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Afenyo-Markin stated that he aims to construct healthcare centres in 18 electoral areas, of which seven have been completed.
Despite his intention to build more health facilities in his constituency, Effutu does not have the highest number of health centres in the country.
Health facilities in other areas in the Central Region
Fact-Check Ghana’s verification indicates that even within the Central region where Effutu is located, other municipal and district assemblies have more health centres.
Mfantseman municipality has a total of 38 health facilities. These consist of three (3) hospitals, five (5) Health Centers, three (3) Clinics, one (1) Polyclinic and twenty-six (26) CHPS Compounds.
Awutu Senya district assembly has 41 health facilities. These include four (4) public health centres, nineteen (19) functional 9 Community-Based Health Planning Services (CHPS) zones, thirteen (13) CHPS compounds and five (5) privately owned health facilities.
Gomoa West district assembly has 27 health institutions. These include one (1) Mission Hospital, five (5) Health Centres, one (1) Reproductive and Child Health Centre, seventeen (17) CHPS zones, two (2) community clinics and one (1) Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre.
This data shows that even in the Central Region, Effutu does not have the highest number of health facilities.
Health facilities in other district and municipal assemblies in Ghana
Fact-Check Ghana selected some municipalities to verify the number of health facilities in these municipalities.
We found that La-Nkwantanang Municipality, in the Greater Accra Region, has 64 health facilities. There are two (2) government polyclinics, four (4) health centres, eighteen (18) private clinics, three (3) maternity homes, thirty-six (36) CHPS zones, and one (1) specialised psychiatrist hospital.
Ledzokuku Municipality has 25 health facilities. There are four (4) hospitals, five (5) clinics, three (3) maternity homes, one (1) health centre, twelve (12) CHPS zones.
In Gushegu, there are 29 health facilities in the municipality. There is one (1) Hospital at Gushegu, two (2) health centres and twenty-six (26) CHPS zones.
Sunyani Municipal has 31 health facilities in total. There are five (5) hospitals, three (3) CHPS, six (6) health centres, thirteen (13) clinics and four (4) maternity homes.
Ahanta West Municipality has 52 health facilities. These include two (2) hospitals, four (4) health centres, seven (7) clinics, thirty-eight (38) CHPS and one (1) maternity home.
The data above shows that several municipalities across the country have more health centres than Effutu.
In conclusion, the claim by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu constituency, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, that Effutu has the highest number of health centres in Ghana is false. This is because other assemblies in Ghana, including some assemblies in the Central Region where Effutu is located, have more health facilities.
