Government has been advised to rather concentrate on completing stalled health projects in the country and motivate health workers than building new hospitals.
The comments follow an announcement by President Nana Akufo-Addo that government will construct 88 district and 6 regional hospitals to help address the challenges in the health sector.
This according to government, was critical to help in the fight against pandemics such as Coronavirus which has exposed the weaknesses in the health sector.
But the Coalition of Non-governmental Organisation in Health are kicking against the initiative describing it as a ‘political gimmick’.
Upper East Regional Chairman of the Coalition,Noble Alagskoma in an interview on Daybreak Upper said,the country at the moment needed pragmatic measures to deal with the Covid-19 situation not promises.
According to him, the exigency of the Coronavirus will demand a rapid response in the health sector hence,dedicating funds for capital intensive new health projects was unwise since existing abandoned projects can be completed and equipped to address the challenge.
Mr. Alagskoma also observed that health workers will have to be motivated to worker harder if government was really committed to fighting the deadly Coronavirus.
“We don’t need new hospitals now,if the resources are there ,we finish those that are half way equip them or operationalize them get the necessary staff to work and a motivative package so that they will work well and then may be three ,four years time we can begin to talk of building other hospitals” he said.
Source:A1radioonline.com|101.1MHZ|Ghana
