Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr Nana Ayew Afriyie, has questioned the government’s decision not to operationalise completed health facilities in the Ashanti Region despite the growing healthcare needs of residents.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme, the Bosomtwe MP expressed disappointment over the delay in opening the Agenda 111 Hospital at Trede and the Sewua Hospital, both of which he said are ready for use.
“What wrong has Ashanti Region done?” he asked.
According to Dr Afriyie, the Agenda 111 Hospital at Trede only requires personnel to begin operations, as all the necessary infrastructure has been completed.
“At Trede, the Agenda 111 hospital has been completed with all the doctors’ bungalows fully completed. All that is needed now is the staff. The road leading to the hospital is there, electricity is there and everything is ready,” he said.
He questioned why the government has not taken steps to make the facility operational.
“What is preventing the government from operationalising it?” he asked.
The Ranking Member also raised concerns about the Sewua Hospital, insisting that the facility is ready to serve residents in the region.
“Ashanti Region does not have a regional hospital. Sewua is ready. I’m so disappointed,” he stated.
Dr Afriyie argued that the Ashanti Region deserves greater attention in healthcare infrastructure, particularly considering its population size and the limited number of major health facilities compared to Accra.
“The opportunities in Accra are not the same as in the Ashanti Region. Accra has several well-equipped hospitals that Ashanti Region does not have, yet the population is almost the same,” he said.
He further criticised the government’s decision to embark on new hospital projects in other regions while completed facilities in the Ashanti Region remain unused.
“The President is constructing new hospitals in Western North, Savannah and Oti regions, but completed hospitals in Ashanti Region are yet to be operationalised,” he noted.
The Bosomtwe MP said he was surprised that the government had not taken advantage of the opportunity to operationalise projects inherited from the previous administration.
“Wouldn’t it be nice that the NDC has built something and the NDC will operationalise it?” he quizzed.
Meanwhile, Chairman of Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, defended ongoing discussions on abandoned health projects and urged the Minority to continue drawing attention to them.
“We also did what the Minority is doing today when we were in opposition. They should continue weeding at the projects their government left in the bush,” he said.
Dr Afriyie maintained that operationalising completed facilities would be a more prudent use of resources and called on the government to carefully assess the costs and benefits before making decisions on new projects.
“Analyse your benefits to the cost and take your decision,” he added.
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