'It can be done' - GREDA boss on building 88 hospitals in a year

The Ghana Real Estate Development Association (GREDA) says one year is adequate enough to construct 88 hospitals by the government.

This is, however, based on the technology and engineering that would be used.

“From the engineering point of view, it is not impossible to construct 88 hospitals, it is not difficult engineering-wise, it can be done. The only problem that we are all aware is the financial aspects of it”, Executive Director of GREDA, Samuel Amegayibor told Class91.3FM’s Executive Breakfast Show host Benjamin Akapko on Tuesday, 28 April 2020.

“If you look at the politics played in this country, the process of procurement; yes, it can be done, it can be done. The construction aspect of the project can be done, it depends on the strategy you put in place”, reiterated Mr Amegayibor.

He, however, said funding will be the major obstacle if the project is to delay.

He explained: “In project execution if you don’t have the funding, you are several months already late. There is a chunk of uncompleted projects because of poor financial engineering … that was not properly thought through and that has been one of the difficulties of project financing. If we don’t get that right, the project cannot start.”

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the government intends constructing 88 hospitals to close the gap of assessing healthcare in the country.

Mr Amegayibor said for the project to be completed on time, there is the need to employ horizontal technology, though vertical technology can be employed these days because of the advanced technology involved.

He, however, advised the government to consider completing existing projects because of the funding challenge that might crop up, adding that building more hospitals is good but it should be done gradually.

Mr Amegayibor also called on the government to involve local engineering and construction firms, in accordance with the local content policy.

“The government should take advantage of all these professional bodies in this country, engage us, put us into a local consortium so that we can be able to advise and assist the government to achieve this. I mean it can be done locally”, he insisted.

“In hospital building, there are two aspects: the structure itself and the equipment. When it comes to the structure provisions, I don’t see where locally we lack; locally, we able to develop and build 94 hospitals in Ghana. When it comes to the equipment to be put in to make it a complete hospital, that is where we will need the foreign component”, he added.