New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP Dr. Mathew Opoku
Prempeh says President John Mahama cannot claim credit for all the
infrastructural projects being showcased by his government. This, he
said, is because funding for some of the projects was secured by the NPP
government before the party lost the 2008 elections.
"These regional
hospitals and district hospitals that they have done.... none of them and I
repeat none of them was even the funding sought by President Mills or President
Mahama" the opposition MP who is a member of the Health Committee of Parliament
said.
President John Mahama's 2016 re-election campaign is heavily hinged
on the government's record of infrastructural projects. The President has said
his government's GHC 3billion sunk in infrastructure represents 'the most
massive infrastructural development in the history of this country'.
But
the Manhyia South MP is not impressed because he believes an honest account of
Mahama's achievements will prove that the NPP had a strong hand in getting the
projects started.
He referenced a 2009 budget statement presented by the
National Democratic Congress (NDC) after it had won the December 2008 general
elections.
It showed a list of projects and funding secured under
President John Agyekum Kufuor government including the 500-bed Military hospital
in Kumasi in the Ashanti region, the upgrade of Tamale Teaching Hospital in the
Northern region and Phase II of the Bolgatanga regional hospitals.
The
budget statement presented on March 5, 2009, listed at least 79 projects and
programmess with funding secured under the Kufuor government before it lost the
December 2008 general elections.
The Kufuor government got a $180m credit
facility from Euroget de Invest S.A on 20th November 2008 with a 3-year grace
period for repayment.
Another $339m was given the NPP government in 2008
for the financing of two regional hospitals and six district hospitals with
staff housing at Adenta/Madina, Twifo-Praso, Konongo-Odumase, Wenchi, Tepa, and
Salaga.
A 7.5million Euro funding was also sourced for the construction of
five Polyclinics.
But in the 'Green Book', a government publication of
achievements under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, 295-bed
Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, the Military hospital and the five polyclinics are
all listed among government's achievements.
"These unprecedented
investments are not only changing lives but are also beginning to yield results
as evident in the positive human development indicators currently being
recorded", a portion of the book reads.
Mathew Opoku Prempeh asked the
Health Minister Alex Segbefia who was in the studio for a Health Debate on the
Joy FM Super Morning Show why government could add to his achievements, projects
whose funds were obtained by the NPP.
"This is the 2009 budget and they
are still claiming credit when they came to meet 100% of the funding," he
said
"You have been in government two months how could you have brought
even loans to parliament?" he wondered.
He said with the funding already
obtained, it is disappointing that government could take years to build the
facilities. "You have delayed some of these projects for nine, eight, seven
years," he criticised.
Alex Segbefia explained that all the
infrastructure projects funded under Kufuor were brought together under
President Mills' administration. He said the Euro Jet hospitals are only a
tranche of hospitals built under Mahama.
Under the NDC government, a $175
million contract has been awarded to a UK construction firm for the designing,
constructing and equipping seven district hospitals for the Ministry of
Health.
The Greater Accra Regional hospital, an important infrastructure
under the Mahama government was done using two credit agreements between
Government of Ghana and Export-Import Bank of United States for an amount of
US$157.5m and HSBC Bank for US$92.5million.
Funding was sourced in
2012. |
| |
|
|
|
