Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has disclosed that Cabinet has approved funding for 35 district hospitals under the Agenda 111 project, with the facilities expected to be completed in phases.
He explained that the government had decided to focus resources on completing selected hospitals instead of distributing funds across all the projects at the same time.
Mr Akandoh said the government would concentrate on the 35 hospitals while seeking partnerships to complete and operate other facilities.
Explaining the rationale behind the decision, he said the government had long held the view that spreading resources across all the projects could prevent any of them from being completed.
“Cabinet has approved to invest in 35 of the district hospitals under Agenda 111. So we are phasing them out. That was our position when we were in opposition. We thought that you can’t spread yourself too thin, and at the end of the day, you don’t do anything,” he said.
Mr Akandoh said approximately GH¢4.5 billion had already been spent on the Agenda 111 projects, adding that the amount could have been enough to complete about 20 hospitals if investment had been concentrated on fewer facilities.
“You have spent about GH¢4.5 billion. This GH¢4.5 billion could have finished about 20 of them. So we think that we can go gradually. So we are investing in about 35. Some of these hospitals, the contractors are on site,” he added.
The minister also revealed that the government was in talks with faith-based healthcare organisations, including the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, to determine which hospitals they could help complete, equip and manage.
He said the arrangement would allow the organisations to take over the facilities and operate them, while maintaining their existing relationship with the government.
“Government will give them those facilities to finish, equip and then run, because after all, government pays their compensation for them. We have that kind of relationship,” he said.
Mr Akandoh further disclosed that plans were underway to arrange partnerships for the completion of another 30 to 35 hospitals under the project.
He said the government would assess progress on the initial 35 facilities before deciding whether to directly fund additional hospitals in subsequent phases.
On how the first 35 hospitals were selected, the minister said the government considered their stages of completion and the need to ensure fair distribution across the country’s 16 regions.
“Two main factors: level of completion and fair distribution. For example, we have about 16 regions, so at least every region must have one or two,” he said.
He explained that regional balance could influence the selection process, meaning a less advanced hospital in one region could be prioritised over a more completed facility in another.
The minister also announced that construction had resumed at the Sewua Government Hospital following the resolution of challenges relating to road access, electricity, water supply and the installation of equipment.
He said the issues had been addressed, allowing the contractor to return to the site and continue work.
“We had issues about the road, we had issues about electricity, we had issues about water, we had issues about installation of some equipment. Now water solved, electricity is solved, road is solved. So the contractor is on site as I speak to you now,” he said.
