The parliamentary majority recently addressed the delay in the reconstruction of Accra’s La General Hospital, citing withheld funds from the project’s sponsors as the primary cause.
The demolition of the hospital took place in July 2020, prompted by significant structural issues reported by the administration back in 2015.
Despite President Akufo-Addo’s initiation of the redevelopment project on August 10, 2020, actual construction has yet to begin.
In response to concerns raised by the local MP, Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu shed light on the reasons behind the project’s current standstill.
“I do know for a fact that there are certain developments. If they had sought for the minister had been here, he would have been in the position to answer. The fact of the matter is that when the agreement relating to the La General Hospital came to this side, it came alongside six other hospitals, including one in my backyard; the polyclinic at Suame.
“Mr Speaker, what has happened is that after the engagement with IMF, funding from those sources from that agreement that parliament should have heard Mr speaker the funding has been withheld by the sponsors.”
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
He therefore hinted that the project is being revived through the government’s Agenda 111.
“Mr Speaker until the nation is given a clean day of help by the IMF, it is going to be difficult for the fund to be released. This is why the government now wants to resort to some other means. Mr Speaker, I know on authority that the government now wants to situate it in the context of Agenda ‘111’. However, if we should resort to that, it will be an amendment to the plan which was not what was agreed on in the document that came to the house.”
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
The Majority leader also called on the Speaker that for accountability and clarity, the Finance Minister should be in parliament to speak about the issues. He reaffirmed that the government is making attempts to get back on track.
“I do know what the government is trying to find a way about; dealing with the government to get contractors to go back for the time being and situate it within the context of Agenda ‘111’ and have the hospital come up.”
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
“Mr Speaker that is where we are”, he stressed.
La General Hospital Is An Urgent Issue
He drew a comparison between the halted progress of La General Hospital and the delay in the construction of the Suame Polyclinic in his constituency, both attributed to similar issues. Reiterating the urgency of the situation, he emphasized the necessity for Parliament to promptly summon the Minister of Finance to address the pertinent questions related to the matter.
“It is not as if it has been neglected. My Suame polyclinic faced the same fate and all those that came to this house under that cover are still not up yet and the government is all it can it reenergize and bring it back in a better way.”
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
Furthermore, the Majority Leader appealed to the Speaker to summon the Minister of Health to Parliament for a thorough inquiry.
He emphasized the pressing need for the hospital’s construction, underlining that the sooner it is completed, the more beneficial it will be for the local populace. He also noted that the construction of the Suame Polyclinic was an imperative step, as the stretch from Suame to Wa, spanning approximately 300 km, lacked a government-owned hospital.
While some hospitals exist along this stretch, they are all privately owned, either by churches or other entities. Underscoring the urgency of the matter, he reaffirmed that the completion of La General Hospital is of equal importance and must be prioritized for immediate action.
“But as I said, it will require us to bring the Ministry of Health to speak to the matters better than I have done”, he reiterated.
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