Members of Parliament on the Minority side of Parliament’s Health Committee have begun a tour of abandoned government health facilities in the Ashanti Region, raising concerns over the impact of stalled projects on healthcare delivery in the region.
The delegation, led by the Member of Parliament for Afigya Sekyere East, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie, and the MP for Abuakwa South, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang among others, visited the abandoned Afari Military Hospital project site on Tuesday as part of efforts to assess the state of key health infrastructure projects.
According to the Minority MPs, the tour was prompted by recent developments at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), where medical personnel embarked on industrial action following challenges associated with congestion and limited capacity at the facility.
Speaking during the visit to the Afari Military Hospital site, Dr. Ayew Afriyie called on President John Dramani Mahama to honour his commitment to complete inherited projects across the country.
“We are here as Minority members to remind President John Dramani Mahama to honour his promise to Ghanaians. He promised to complete all projects he inherited, and the Afari Military Hospital is one of the critical healthcare projects that will significantly improve healthcare delivery in the Ashanti Region,” he said.
Dr. Ayew Afriyie argued that the completion of the facility would help ease the burden on KATH and other health institutions in the region.
“The challenges at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital are largely due to pressure on the facility. If the Afari Military Hospital had been completed and operational, some of these challenges could have been avoided,” he added.
The MPs expressed concern over the deteriorating state of the project, parts of which have become overgrown with weeds due to years of inactivity.
Responding to questions on why the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration did not complete the project while in office, Dr. Ayew Afriyie acknowledged that the project remained unfinished but noted that substantial payments had been made to the contractor.
“That is one of the reasons we are now in opposition. However, we paid about GH¢2 billion to the contractor, representing a significant contribution toward the completion of the project,” he stated.
For his part, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang questioned the government’s decision to initiate new hospital projects in other parts of the country while several health facilities in the Ashanti Region remain incomplete despite being at advanced stages of completion.
He cited ongoing health infrastructure projects in Damongo, the Sefwi area, and the Volta Region, arguing that priority should be given to completing projects that are reportedly over 90 percent complete.
“Our plea to the President is to complete these projects in the Ashanti Region to improve healthcare delivery and prevent future disruptions in health services,” Dr. Agyemang said.
The visit was briefly interrupted when military personnel stationed at the Afari Military Hospital site asked the delegation to leave the premises.
The Minority Health Committee is expected to continue its assessment tour with a visit to the Sewua Regional Hospital project to evaluate its current state and progress.
Source :www.kumasimail.com
