The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has declared Agenda 111 Hospitals Project as the most ambitious and value-for-money health infrastructural initiative ever embarked upon in the history of Ghana.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo last Tuesday cut the sod for the commencement of the Agenda 111, which he described as the biggest ever investment in the nation’s healthcare sector.
The project involves the construction of 101 district hospitals, seven regional hospitals for the new Regions, including a new one for the Western Region, two new psychiatric hospitals for the Middle Belt and Northern Belt, respectively, and the rehabilitation of the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital in the Western Region
The NPP reiterated that the project is the biggest health intervention since the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2003, which itself was also the biggest ever in Ghana’s history.
It stressed that if the people of Ghana want the country to be transformed, then they should not look any further because President Akufo-Addo is giving them almost three district hospitals at the price of one of John Mahama under whom the average cost was approximately US$45,000.
Addressing a news conference last Friday to counter-reactions of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) about the Agenda 111, NPP Director of Communications Yaw Buaben Asamoa stated that the commencement of works towards the project, represents a major departure from the piecemeal approach to health service delivery.
The NPP, he said, expects Agenda 111 to benefit directly over seven million under-served Ghanaians.
“Grafted onto the existing network of CHPS Compounds, Polyclinics, private sector facilities and Regional and Teaching Hospitals, the vision of Nana Addo will ultimately result in every Ghanaian everywhere accessing quality health services at a minimal cost.
“Agenda 111 will bring a hospital so close to you that you can pass there anytime you, your friend, wife, girlfriend, father, mother, brother, sister, everybody, feels like they need medical attention. And it will not cost you much. NHIS, which NPP brought and NDC rejected, will help you to reduce the cost”, he added.
Job creation
According to Mr Buaben Asamoa, Agenda 111 will also bring jobs for doctors, nurses, lab technicians, pharmacists, receptionists, cleaners, accountants, drivers, gardeners, typists, electricians, cooks, washmen, security men, IT specialists, and mortuary attendants among many others.
He disclosed that some people including brilliant Ghanaian consultants, architects, quantity surveyors, draughtsmen and printers have already gotten jobs on the project and are working.
The NPP, Mr Buaben Asamoa said, believes Ghanaians are good and can work, and directly or indirectly they have a role play in the constructions and operations of these facilities when completed.
“Ladies and gentlemen, traders are also going to benefit from building Agenda 111 selling to the people who will work there, after it’s been built. Sand and stone, water, nails, wood, cement, glass, roofing, everything will be bought from Ghanaian traders. 111 sites with many buildings on each site and business will be good for you,” he added.
Nervous NDC
Mr. Buaben Asamoa argued that the NPP is doing something for Ghanaians and that is why the NDC are worried and feel threatened because the people are getting good things from the Akufo-Addo administration and will therefore never give the opposition their votes.
Innovative policies
According to him, the NDC sees Agenda 111 as a game-changer that defeats their archaic model of regime change every eight years and are afraid Ghanaians will ‘break the eight’.
“So far, it is clear that no other party in Ghana’s entire history has been able to deliver anywhere near what the New Patriotic Party has achieved on the three priority areas that voters expect of their government: Education, Health and Infrastructure.
“On education, not only have we delivered on expanding access to every Ghanaian child, from capitation grant under President J A Kufuor, to free SHS and TVET under President Akufo-Addo, we have also witnessed the best ever results by a record number of students ever in WAEC’s BECEs.
“On infrastructure, taking off from where President Kufuor left off, we have seen more roads and flyovers being built in four years under President Akufo-Addo than under any other leader in the history of our country.
“Not only that, the kind of development activity going on now in the railway sector was never seen under any government in independent Ghana. On top of that, the digitization infrastructure being rolled out now to expand business opportunities for young people and bring greater efficiency in doing business generally is clearly historic.
“This, is only the beginning, ladies and gentlemen, as the NPP pushes further in doing more in these eight years with a clear focus to break the eight in 2024,” he stated.
Complements
Agenda 111, Mr Buaben Asamoa said, complements major reforms in the education sector that the Akufo-Addo administration is doing and urged Ghanaians to contribute their quota to mother Ghana.
He said Ghanaians have a choice and should not listen to former President John Mahama’s “it cannot be done” mantra and spoil everything Nana Addo has given the country.
“Will you not vote for NPP in 2024 to continue to expand the job opportunities until you get your fitting share? The choice is yours.”
“It should not be a difficult choice. ‘I have’. ‘I don’t have’. ‘I can do’. ‘I can’t do’. NPP can do. NDC cannot do. The choice is yours. The decision is not far away. 2024,” he added.
