- Dr. Nsiah Asare denies Agenda 111 financial struggles
- Previous budgets and oil funds financed the project
- Calls for medical staff deployment to completed hospitals
Former Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr. Nsiah Asare, has strongly refuted claims made by former President John Dramani Mahama that the Agenda 111 project is facing significant financial difficulties and needs an additional $1.7 billion to reach completion.
The Agenda 111 initiative, launched during the COVID-19 pandemic by former President Akufo-Addo, is a major national project aimed at constructing 111 district and regional hospitals, including psychiatric facilities, to improve healthcare access throughout Ghana. Despite the ambitious scope of the project, no hospital has been fully operational to date, prompting concerns over its progress.
In recent comments, former President Mahama suggested that over $400 million had already been spent on the project, but with minimal progress. He also claimed that an extra $1.7 billion would be required to complete it.
However, Dr. Nsiah Asare, speaking on Adom FM’s Burning Issues, rejected these assertions. He emphasized that the Agenda 111 project does not require any additional funding, pointing out that the necessary budget allocations had already been made during the previous administration. Dr. Asare clarified that part of Ghana’s oil revenue had been directed towards financing the project, in addition to direct budgetary allocations.
“The claim that there was no money to fund Agenda 111 is not true. Former President Akufo-Addo permitted us to use part of the oil funds because Agenda 111 is a legacy project, in addition to direct budgetary allocations,” Dr. Nsiah Asare stated.
Dr. Asare further explained that the Akufo-Addo government had ensured that the financial requirements for the incoming administration were well-documented. He revealed that a significant portion of the $1.7 billion cited by Mahama had already been disbursed by December of the previous year.
In his statement, Dr. Nsiah Asare also mentioned that several hospitals under the Agenda 111 initiative have already been completed and furnished. However, he noted that these facilities have yet to be staffed, despite the presence of many trained health professionals who are currently unemployed.
“Several hospitals under Agenda 111 have been completed and furnished, but they are yet to be staffed. Meanwhile, many trained health professionals remain unemployed,” he added.
Dr. Nsiah Asare urged the current government to take swift action in deploying medical personnel to these completed facilities, ensuring that they are fully operational and ready to serve their intended purpose.
