He said the facility lacked infrastructure and critical staff including physician assistant and an administrator.

The Omanhene made the appeal during a durbar at Nkonya Wurupong to climax the 2019 Sankyiba Festival, on the theme: "Our Health, Our Culture: Bridging the Gap to Sustain the Youth."

He said the current state of the facility made it difficult to meet the health needs of the Wurupong community.

"History has it that, since 1958, when Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah built this Nkonya Wurupong Health facility, it has not seen any major refurbishment and our communities have now overgrown this health facility," he said.

Nana Kofi Ampadu, the Esiedomhene of the Traditional Area, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the 61-year old Hospital was built with part of the community's share of cocoa proceeds from the area.

He said the facility only received support from philanthropists and charitable organisations.

Nana Ampadu said some philanthropists recently provided equipment for the establishment of an eye centre to serve the onchocerciasis-prone area, but had since been in storage for the lack of a structure to host the unit.

"CHPS compounds in other areas have been promoted, but our health facility continues to be denied the needed attention," he said.

GNA visited the facility and found patients of both sexes sharing its only functioning ward, and also discovered structures, which used to house some of its units, dilapidated and unused.

It was told that staff including the pharmacist, who were recently transferred, had not been replaced.

A fundraiser was held at the durbar to garner financial support for the rehabilitation of the Health Centre.

A free health screening exercise was also organised on the side by the District Health Directorate.

 The Sankyiba (Come Back) Festival got its name from the recall of the tallest among the Wurupongs who attempted to test the depth of the Volta River during the mass exodus to their present settlement.

According to the legend, the men nearly got drowned, necessitating the need for the fetish priest to call forth a turtle, which carried the community across the river.

Some people who were too weak to cross were left behind, and formed the present day Senchi Community in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region.

The enactment of the crossing was among other cultural displays at the durbar.

Traditional leaders from the area, as part of the celebration, earlier led a trip to the immediate past settlement of the Community, located atop the surrounding mountains.

Gracing the durbar were chiefs and traditional leaders from other Guan states, including Nana Mprah Besemuna III, Krachiwura, who chaired the event.

He called on chiefs of the Oti Region to consider the creation of the Region an opportunity to unite and rally for development.