Update on Agenda 111 hospitals project is timely

Mr Ken Ofori-Attah, Minister of Finance has disclosed that construction work has commenced and at various stages of completion in 87 out of the 111 sites earmarked for the Agenda 111 project.

He said, “with the majority of the contractors at various sites, we are well on course to bridge the health inequality gap and strengthen the health system nationwide.”

Mr Ofori-Attah made this known when he delivered the Mid-Year Review Budget in Parliament yesterday.

He said other health infrastructure projects, including the construction of one district hospital and five polyclinics in Western Region, the expansion and equipping of four selected facilities at Aburi and equipping of Upper East (Bolgatanga) Regional Hospital, Phase II, are expected to be completed by the end of 2022.

The Finance Minister said the timely intervention by the Government during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic preserved the lives and livelihood of Ghanaians.

Inadequate health facilities, long distances to reach them, lack of effective and efficient transportation systems remain barriers to access healthcare in Ghana.

It is shocking that 88 district in the country do not have district hospitals.

To address this injustice, the government decided to build 111 hospitals across the country.

The project involves the construction of 100-bed 101 District Hospitals, 160-bed six Regional Hospitals in newly created regions, one Regional Hospital in the Western Region, 90 bed Psychiatric Hospitals in Kumasi and Tamale, Rehabilitation of Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital in Sekondi and the Redevelopment of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital.

The Regional breakdown of district hospitals are; Ashanti-10, Volta-9, Eastern-8, Greater Accra-7, Upper East-7, Oti-5, Upper West-5, Bono-5, Western North-5, Savanna-3, Bono East-2 and North East- 2.

All hospitals shall have a compliment of staff accommodation.

The huge investment into the healthcare sector is to address the uneven distribution of healthcare infrastructure and also make Ghana the centre of excellence in healthcare delivery in the sub region.

Each of the hospitals would be built at the cost of $12.8 million and another $4.8 million would be spent to equip them bringing the total cost of each of the hospitals to $17.60 million

On Tuesday, August 17, 2021 President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cut the sod for the commencement of the construction of the Trede District Hospital in the Atwima Kwanwoma district of the Ashanti Region.

It is estimated that 25,000 people will be employed during the design and construction phase of the 111 hospital providing direct jobs to architects, masons, carpenters and other construction workers in the country.

Once completed, about 20,000 health professionals including doctors, specialists, nurses and other allied health workers will be employed thus reducing the unemployment rate in the country.

The District Hospitals Under the Agenda 111 programme presents an unparalleled opportunity to transform the country’s health care system creating a new standard on the continent.

The objective of this project as envisioned by the President is to ensure that Ghanaians in every district and region in the country have access to quality healthcare services.

The proposed project will boost the provision of healthcare infrastructure in line with the government’s commitment to ensuring universal health care to all citizens and attainment of United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3).
It will further be a fulfillment of the government’s policy of a hospital in each district and region and improve the geographical coverage of healthcare delivery in the country, as well as offer improved access to healthcare for all Ghanaians.

In the process, the outcome will also come with a model of accelerated construction of health facilities developed for future health projects.

On completion, this venture will be the largest investment in healthcare infrastructure in the country since independence.

Never before in the annals of this country’s health infrastructure development has universal access to good and affordable healthcare been so strategically envisioned.