<<Print>>

The Board Chairman of the National Theatre, Nana Fredua Agyeman Ofori-Atta, has slammed the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and former President John Dramani Mahama over their statements on the Agenda 111 initiative by the Akufo-Addo administration.

The President has cut sod for the construction of 111 district and Regional hospitals with the first 88 hospitals to be built within 18 months.

"So far sites have been identified for 88 of the 111 hospitals, and after cutting the sod, work on the other 87 sites will also commence today [Tuesday].”

“The acquisition of the remaining 13 sites will be completed shortly for work to begin. Each hospital is being constructed at a cost of $16.88 million, i.e. $12.88 million for construction and $4 million for medical equipment, and all the hospitals are to be completed in 18 months and works will begin on the regional and other hospitals in the latter part of the year,” the President said during his sod-cutting for the project in the Ashanti Region on Tuesday, August 17.

Mahama On Agenda 111

According to the former President, the project is "only an afterthought that suddenly they realized that they must be doing some infrastructure and Agenda 111 has been conjured with no transparency as to how the money for the projects are going to be procured''.

“Government should avert its mind and try to finish some of those projects including some of those that they themselves have initiated,” he added.

NDC's Accusations

Some NDC members also accused the government of spending over GH¢ 600 million before cutting sod for the project.

Responding to the allegation, the Ministry of Finance in a press release issued by the Public Relations Unit, indicated that the GH¢ 600 million released to the Health Infrastructure Account at Bank of Ghana (BoG) in 2020 was the equivalent of the US$ 100 million announced by the government to implement the projects.

“In 2020, GH¢600 million was released to the Health Infrastructure Account at Bank of Ghana (BoG) to support the implementation of the District and Regional Hospital Projects. This is the equivalent of the 100m US Dollars as announced by Government and will be disbursed to contractors in accordance with the project work plan," the statement dated August, 19, explained.

Stop The Childish Talks

Touching on the issue on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Nana Fredua rebuked the NDC and former President John Mahama for sharing dissenting views on the project.

Speaking to host Nana Yaw Kesseh, he addressed their statements as ''childish'' saying ''I mean you don't talk like that. That's not how we should play our politics . . . This a good thing. Where the hospitals will be built will provide employment for food vendors, ice water sellers and those who deal in assorted drinks. There will also be employment for doctors and nurses . . . So, stop those childish talks''.

Nana Fredua applauded the President for the initiative believing it will boost the health sector of the economy.

"These 111 hospitals are for Ghanaians," he emphasized.