Pantang staff embark on street protest over land encroachment

Staff of the Pantang Hospital on Wednesday morning hit the streets to mount pressure on government to resolve issues regarding encroachment on the hospital’s lands.

The street protest followed a two-day sit-down strike from Monday July 10, to push for the problem to be addressed.

Graphic Online’s Maxwell Ocloo reported that they walked with placards from the hospital's premises to Adenta barrier, then back to the hospital.

According to them, several appeals to the authorities over the last few years to stop the indiscriminate developments around them, which they said was threatening lives of patients and staff, had been ignored.

A mental health nurse, Mr Seth Boakye, who is also the local vice chair of the nurses association told Graphic Online that although a court had ruled that the land did not belong to the hospital, the administration of the hospital was of the view that it was necessary for government to assist in the acquisition of the land.

He further explained that, these developments were going to disrupt activities of the hospital as residents would likely build structures that would deal in alcoholic and narcotic services which doesn't help patients.

Mr Boakye said, management of the hospital would present a petition to the Minister of Health who was expected to be at the hospital later on Wednesday.