By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama says his administration will require a whopping $1.7 billion to complete the unfinished Agenda 111 hospital projects initiated by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo-led administration.
President Akufo-Addo launched the Agenda 111 project on Tuesday, August 17, 2021. The project covers the construction of 101 district hospitals and six regional hospitals in the newly created regions.
The Agenda 111 hospital projects in Ghana were scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024. However, only 21 out of the 111 hospitals are said to have been completed so far.
Addressing some members from the Christian Council during a meeting in Accra, President Mahama bemoaned that nearly 90 of the hospitals remain uncompleted, with some lacking even the most basic medical equipment.
“The previous government started Agenda 111 but has not been able to finish the hospitals. There are so many of them unfinished. Even the ones they commissioned don’t have a single bed. Now we need $1.7 billion to complete the Agenda 111 projects,” he stated.
President Mahama, as part of his administration’s efforts to ensure the completion of the remaining projects without further delays, has proposed a partnership with religious organisations to support the completion of some of the stalled projects.
He has therefore called on interested religious bodies to take on the uncompleted hospitals, complete them, and manage them to ensure that healthcare services reach more Ghanaians.
According to him, the government will not construct new hospitals in areas that have existing healthcare facilities even if the facility is a mission hospital. Additionally, what his government intends to do is to equip the existing healthcare facilities to meet international standards to serve more citizens within the catchment of the facility.
“If the missions already have a hospital in an area, we are not coming to compete with them by building another one. Instead, we will use resources to improve mission hospitals so they can better serve the community,” he reiterated.
However, President Mahama has reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that all Agenda 111 hospitals are completed and fully equipped to meet the healthcare needs of the country.
