The Minority in Parliament has served notice it will soon call for the Health Minister before the House, to demand answers on why the government had abandoned works on some hospital projects in the Ashanti region started by the previous Mahama-led administration.
Some of the hospitals include the 120-bed Kumawu District Hospital and Adansi-Fomena District Hospital which are currently rotting away after the Nana Akufo-Addo administration took over power.
Unused building materials have been left to the mercy of the rain while weeds have engulfed the abandoned projects in some districts – Dodowa (completed), Fomena, Kumawu, Sekondi and Takoradi worth a total of $175 million.
Other projects are the Euroget Six District Hospitals project each with 60-bed capacity – Tepa, Nsawkaw, Konongo, Madina, Salaga and Twifo Praso – which cost $ 339 million.
All these hospitals are near completion but they have been abandoned in the bush since the New Patriotic Party assumed office in January 2017 after the government claimed it had conducted an audit report on the facilities to ensure value for money.
Speaking to Charles Agbeve a Minority member on the Health Committee of Parliament who went on a fact-finding tour of such facilities described the government’s posture towards the projects as “wickedness” and “waste of the tax payers’ resources”.
He added that Minority members on the Committee will use all legal means to ensure that the Health Minister mobilises the contractors to site to complete the projects.
Mr Akando, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Juaboso, challenged the government to prosecute National Democratic Congress officials, if it claims they have engaged in any financial malpractice in the execution of the projects.
A member of the Committee, who is also MP for Agotime-Ziope Constituency, Charles Agbeve speaking to Rite News described the government’s action as unfair to the people of Ashanti region.
He also accused the government of causing financial loss to the State which the Health Minister must provide answers to and explain why the projects have been abandoned.
But Health Minister, Hon. Kwaku Agyemang Manu is peeved at the attempts by the Minority in Parliament to play partisan politics with the health sector.
According to him, the recent tour by some Minority members on the Health Committee of Parliament to some abandoned hospital project sites was borne out of mischief.
In a rebuttal, the Health Minister on Adom FM’s morning show, Wednesday called the bluff of the NDC.
He explained that knowing that contractors have been ordered to move to site, the NDC MPs quickly rushed there for cheap political points.
Mr Agyemang-Manu said the conduct of the NDC will not push the government to take decisions to shortchange Ghanaians.
Per the recommendation of the Auditor-General, the Health Minister said NMS Infrastructure Company Limited has been asked to return to site to complete the projects.
He said a total of $38 million has been allocated to complete the two projects to provide quality healthcare to residents in and around the two towns.
Mr Agyeman-Manu appealed to the chiefs and people of Kumawu and Fomena to exercise restraint as government works to complete the projects.
Source: ritefmonline.org/Austin Ofori Addo
