The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has stated that the previous government under former President Nana Akufo-Addo had no realistic intention of completing the Agenda 111 hospital projects initiated across the country.
Speaking in response to concerns raised by DCEs in the Upper East region about the stalled health facilities, the minister said the current administration inherited more than 100 hospital projects under the Agenda 111 program, many of which remain unfinished.
According to him, the scale of the project made it impractical for Ghana to complete all the hospitals without a sustainable source of funding.
He argued that the project was rolled out without a clear financial plan, making it difficult for the government to complete all the facilities.
“They had no intention of completing anything because it was simply not realistic for a country like Ghana to embark on more than 100 health facilities without a sustainable and reliable source of funding. It’s just not, I mean, it doesn’t make sense. So we have inherited very challenging circumstances, but we cannot lament; we must find a solution to it,” he stated.
The minister further claimed that the projects were largely initiated to demonstrate progress during election periods rather than to ensure completion.
“I was a Ranking Member on the Health Committee, and I said it, that they were going to excavate places, put some sand and cement somewhere, and during the election, say, we see you have started your project, so vote for us to continue,” he alleged.
Despite the challenges, the minister said the government is working on solutions to complete some of the hospitals and improve healthcare delivery across the country. He revealed that the government is considering bringing in the private sector and faith-based health institutions to support the completion and management of some of the facilities.
“If the government alone decides to complete all the hospitals, it could take more than 10 years,” he said. “So we are proposing options where government completes some, while others are taken up by corporate Ghana, faith-based organizations, or private investors under agreed arrangements.”
Under one of the proposals, private investors may complete some of the hospitals and operate them for a specified period before handing them back to the state. He also appealed to Members of Parliament and District Chief Executives to help identify organizations or individuals who could partner with government to complete some of the stalled projects.
The minister disclosed that more than GH¢4.8 billion had already been spent on the Agenda 111 initiative, yet none of the hospitals have been fully completed.
A1 Radio | 101.1Mhz | Joshua Asaah | Bolgatanga
