- 3 Agenda 111 hospitals commissioned by Akufo-Addo incomplete
- Facilities lack equipment, staffing, and operational plans
- $1.4 billion needed to complete all 111 health facilities
Civil works on three of the Agenda 111 health projects commissioned under President Akufo-Addo remain unfinished.
Despite the commissioning of facilities in Trede, Oforikrom, and Ahanta West Districts two days before the 2024 elections, there were no plans in place for handing them over to the Ghana Health Service for operationalization.
Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh stated that civil works for all the facilities are below ninety-five percent complete.
“In terms of the civil works, none of the commissioned facilities is above ninety-five percent, and I am being very charitable,” he said.
The Health Minister made this statement after touring the two commissioned Agenda 111 facilities in the Ashanti Region.
According to the Health Minister, only 400 million dollars of the 1.7 billion dollars needed for the 111 health facilities was released for construction.
By the figures, over a billion dollars will be needed for the completion of all facilities under construction.
“We need not less than 1.4 billion dollars to be able to finish the projects, these are the facts,” Mr. Akandoh explained.
A visit to the Oforikrom and Atwima Nwabiagya facilities, commissioned by the former President, showed both facilities are not operational.
Road networks leading to both sites are untarred, dusty, and bumpy.
At the Trede facility, part of the roads within the hospital are untarred. Though civil works are advanced, there is much to be done in both facilities.
At Trede, some beds and a few pieces of equipment that were moved into the hospital continue to gather dust due to inactivity.
Mr. Akandoh explained, “Per my inspection, the civil works are not complete. Labs are incomplete, not all equipment has been delivered, so we don’t have health workers here as expected.”
“I came with the Director General of the Ghana Health Service and the Regional Director. They tell me there is no action plan for recruitment or staffing for these facilities,” he added.
According to the Minister, though there is no dedicated source of funding for the project, the government is willing to complete the projects following the submission of a blueprint.
