The Majority Chief Whip who doubles as Member of Parliament for Nsawam / Adoagyiri in the Eastern Region, Hon. Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has indicated that the government’s Agenda 111 is the biggest health infrastructure program by any government.
According to him,” aside from the expanding access to health care, providing jobs for the health workers and creating new economies, the project also prioritizes local contractors and local labor”.
He said this has been the biggest health investment made by any single government since the ‘birth’ of this nation, which goes beyond healthcare.
President Akufo-Addo is expected to perform the sod-cutting ceremony today at Trede in the Atwima Kwawoma District of the Ashanti Region.
In April 2020, during a live telecast of a national Covid19 update by the President, he announced this administration’s resolve to construct district hospitals for outstanding 101 districts with no such facilities.
The projects, as he announced, are scheduled to be executed within 12 months of commencement. Thus, from the commencement of works by every contractor on site.
In total, 101 District Hospitals, 2 Specialized Hospitals for the Middle and Northern belt, redevelopment of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, 6 new Regional Hospitals, and 1 extra-regional hospital for the Western Region shall be delivered under this program.
At the moment, the government has secured sites for 88 of these districts, across the nation, and therefore deems it favorable to commence the project.
The project is to deliver a standard 100-bed facility at each district, as each district hospital is expected to cost the state about a 17million USD.
The government through the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund, GIIF, has raised a seed funding of 100million USD for the commencement of the projects.
The government has undertaken to commit three budget cycles to the project. Meaning, funds for the execution would be provided from the next three budget years, beginning with this current year.
The Project Implementation Committee, headed by the Chief of Staff, has awarded all the contracts as of now, and made available all necessary implements for the commencement of the district hospitals component of Agenda 111.
The project is geared at deepening healthcare delivery at all district levels and ensures that Ghanaians can access high-quality healthcare.
It will also provide thousands of jobs for the healthcare staff to be recruited and posted to all these 111 facilities as well as their ancillary workers in these communities.
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Evans Boateng
