The Africa Centre for Health Policy (ACeHP) has warned that government may not meet its completion deadline for the construction of health facilities under the Agenda 111 projects.
Executive Director at ACeHP, Ahmed Farhan says checks across the country indicate no sign of progress at the project sites.
The ambitious Agenda 111 project includes 101 district hospitals, six regional hospitals in the newly created regions, two specialised hospitals in the middle and northern belts, as well as a regional hospital in the Western Region and the renovation of the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital.
Its objective is to provide quality healthcare delivery at the district level.
Government has so far secured a $100 million start-up fund through the Ghana Investment Infrastructure Fund (GIIF) for the commencement of the projects.
In August 2021, President Nana Akufo-Addo cut sod in the Ashanti Region to signal the beginning of hospital projects across the country.
However, speaking to Citi News, Ahmed Farhan who believes that the project is well intended for the good of Ghanaians, noted that any delays will further worsen the country’s health care delivery system.
“I doubt if we will be able to meet the set timelines. It will definitely affect the project lifecycle. The 12-month target that has been set, I presume, will not be to be met. Currently, I think they have been faced with certain challenges that will not permit them to kickstart the physical construction of the hospitals, so I think the 12 months they have set will just not be possible.”
He also alleged that financial constraints could be blamed for the delay in the execution of the various projects.
“What the government needs to do is to make the commitment in constructing those hospitals and injecting the seed capital for the works to be done. Most of the contractors we got in touch with do not want to disclose information, but the indication is that, they do not have capital available to move to site and that is what is delaying the start of the project.”
Source: Citi News Room