Coronavirus politicization claims: Abronye takes on Mahama, Asiedu Nketia

The Akufo-Addo led administrations plans to construct 88 new district hospitals and six new regional hospitals within a year have come under heavy criticisms with many describing it as impossible.

During his eighth address to the nation on the coronavirus pandemic, President Akufo-Addo made an announcement that "there are 88 districts in our country without district hospitals; we have six new regions without regional hospitals; we do not have five infectious disease control centres dotted across the country, and we do not have enough testing and isolation centres for diseases like COVD-19. We must do something urgently about this”.

Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has explained that the government was planning to construct 22 District Hospitals before the announcement of 88 new hospitals.

“We had also selected to do 22 district hospitals even before the President’s announcement . . . When we got an indication of allocation of the Sinohydro facility that the government was arranging to take, we listed 22 Districts without hospitals to begin construction,” he said.

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has criticised the President for using 'COVID-19 platform' for political gains. They have raised questions on the government's ability to construct the facilities within a year.

According to them, the existing health facilities that the government claim to be constructing started by former President John Mahama and bemoaned the fact that the ruling government has not yet constructed 'even one hospital'.

NPP Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC speaking on UTV's late news programme queried: "Asiedu Nketia said measures to fight COVID-19 are to rig election 2020, was that not engaging in politics? When the lockdown was lifted they accused the President of doing so to allow the EC to compile a new voters' register. Is that not politics?"