Aerial shot of a proposed District Hospital
• Agenda 111 is touted by the government as the biggest health infrastructure drive in recent history
• The initial plan was to build 88 district hospitals, which idea found a place in the NPP’s 2020 manifesto
• The whole idea is also a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
Gabby Asare otchere-Darko has tasked persons he describes as anti-corruption apostles to give credit to the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government for financial prudence in the construction of district hospitals.
Without quoting any soecific figures relative to his claim of savings, he said at the present cost of about 16 million dollars, government was saving over 50% of what would have been the original cost.
In an August 19 social media post, he wrote: “I am a fascinated that the anti-corruption apostles have been sensationally quiet on the fact that a Ghana Govt has found a way to slash the cost of putting up a district hospital, fully equipped, by more than half! We must have the courage to give credit where due.”
The official cost of each of the 101 district hospitals under the Agenda 111 project has been pegged at US$16.88 million – that is US$12.88 million for construction and US$4 million for medical equipment.
All projects are to span 18 months from the date of sod cutting. According to Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, civil works are expected to take 12 months before the remaining six-months goes into other works.
I am a fascinated that the anti-corruption apostles have been sensationally quiet on the fact that a Ghana Govt has found a way to slash the cost of putting up a district hospital, fully equipped, by more than half! We must have the courage to give credit where due. pic.twitter.com/0ciqZ3qcVs
— Gabby Otchere-Darko (@GabbyDarko) August 19, 2021
Gabby’s anti-corruption comments come on the heels of similar critical remarks made by President Akufo-Addo to a number of anti-corruption campaigners at a recent meeting.
“In my commitment to develop state agencies to act in the interest of whom they serve, I have not deviated from that. But there is something we cannot overlook, the highly political atmosphere in which some of these allegations are raised, in which some of the CSOs are privy to and complicit,” he said.
“Civil Society Organisations that mounted a campaign that, dare not I continue not to sit in this seat, and I believe a lot of objective people will appreciate the point that I make.
“Nevertheless, when you are the head, you are required to listen to everybody and together we will succeed, but more importantly, we need to appreciate the times that we are in, where you can speak your mind and not be worried about the midnight knock,” the President stressed.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, August 17, 2021, cut sod for the commencement of the Agenda 111 project, i.e. the construction of over 100 district hospitals and other major health facilities across the country.
In his address at the launch, president Akufo-Addo mentioned a number of figures relative to the rollout of the project, from the cost of the project, the estimated number of jobs, contractors and period of completion.