• Dr Nana Yaw Afriyie says the government cannot be held responsible for delay in completing abandoned projects
• He stated a British construction firm is to oversee the completion of the projects with their funds
• The Mahama administration left behind some nine uncompleted hospitals
Dr Nana Yaw Afriyie, Chairman of Parliament’s Health Committee, has indicated that the Akufo-Addo led government should not be held responsible for the delay in completing stalled health projects started under the previous government.
Speaking in an interview on Joy News, the Sekyere East MP said, funds needed in completing some nine health projects the Mahama government left behind will come from the country’s donor partners, therefore, the British construction firm is to oversee the project’s completion with its own funds.
He explained that funds expected from the UK Export Fund was behind the delay in completion adding that the government of Ghana is innocent of allegations levelled against it by some opposition members.
The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee, Kwabena Mintah-Akandoh has accused the incumbent government of failing to complete projects started by the previous government.
He indicated that, the Fomena and Abetifi health projects are in a deplorable state.
“The Fomena hospital can no longer be said to be 90 per cent complete. It is deteriorating. The ceiling has caved in. There are completed medical doctors and nurses’ bungalows taken over by weeds. The bungalows have been tiled and have air conditioners. If it is not wickedness, tell me one word to describe this situation,” Mintah-Akandoh said.
He accused the government of causing financial loss to the state with failure to complete such projects.
In a reaction, Dr Afriyie explained, “The money is not coming from Ghana governments; it is coming from the UK. If you want advance mobilization, what you have to do is that the Ministry of Health will submit your withdrawal letter to the Ministry of Finance and they, in turn, will pass it on to the UK and the UK will release the money.
“As I speak with you, all these have been done. We are waiting for funds to be released from the UK so (that) the contractors can complete Kumawu, Fomena, European Hospital. If the money is not coming, do you blame the government for this? I don’t understand.”
He, however, stated that the NDC should be interrogated on why a large sum of money was spent on the projects but little was done.
“The program was supposed to have ended on December 31, 2016, where they would have constructed almost about 10 hospitals.
“As of 2016, in August when it went for renewal, they had only completed Dodowa and the remaining were on average about 50 percent complete. Yet about 85 percent of the money had been given out. Out of USD175million, it was left with almost USD38million. So the financial consumption had outweighed what was there physically and for that matter, they went to the then Finance Minister Seth Terpker for renewal and he decided not to renew it in August and it actually expired in December 2016.
“The question is going to be that, I want to find out why the former Minister, Seth Terpker did not renew the mandate of the then contractors,” Dr Afriyie stressed.