Where are the 9 hospitals you promised us? - Volta NDC asks Akufo-Addo

Members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Volta Region are demanding the whereabouts of a number of hospitals that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo promised to build for them.

The president, in his 8th televised address to the nation on measures to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic on Sunday, 26 April 2020, stated: “We will, this year, begin constructing eighty-eight (88) hospitals in the districts without hospitals”.

“It will mean 10 in Ashanti, nine in Volta, nine in Central, eight in Eastern, seven in Greater Accra, seven in Upper East, five in Northern, five in Oti, five in Upper West, five in Bono, four in Western North, four in Western, three in Ahafo, three in Savanna, two in Bono East and two in North East region”.

But a statement co-signed by the Volta Regional Communication Officer of the NDC, Mr Sorkpa K. Agbleze and his Deputy, Delali Bright Kugbeadzor on 4 May 2021, indicated: “As a major political party in the region, we have taken the pain to monitor the promise made by H.E. the President.”

“Our search in all districts without hospitals in the region has revealed that absolutely no work has begun to build any hospital, not even a block has been laid anywhere to show any semblance of commitment to the promise made by H.E. the President,” the group said.

The statement further noted: “Volta Region is reminding H. E. President that, a promise is like debt and so long as he has made the promise to build the hospitals, he is indebted to the region and we will continue to remind him till the hospitals are constructed in fulfilment of the promise.”

Read the full statement below:

PRESS RELEASE

BY: VOLTA NDC

DATE: 4TH MAY 2021

VOLTA REGION DEMANDS THE NINE HOSPITALS PROMISED BY PRESIDENT NANA ADDO.

"A time has come when silence is betrayal that time is now" said Dr Martin Luther King decades ago.

It is the resolve of the NDC in the Volta Region that it will be a great betrayal on the part of the party to remain silent after a year has elapsed since H.E. the President promised to build nine district hospitals in the region to help improve health delivery infrastructure to mitigate the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a major political party in the region, we have taken the pain to monitor the promise made by H.E. the President. Our search in all districts without hospitals in the region has revealed that absolutely no work has begun to build any hospital, not even a block has been laid anywhere to show any semblance of commitment to the promise made by H.E. the President.

Volta Region is reminding H.E. President that, a promise is like debt and so long as he has made the promise to build the hospitals, he is indebted to the region and we will continue to remind him till the hospitals are constructed in fulfilment of the promise.

The Volta Region has some districts with district hospitals and those without these facilities such as Adaklu, Akatsi North, Ho West, Afadzato South, North Dayi, North Tongu, Agortime Ziope, Anlo and South Dayi people have to move long distances to access health care. There are various instances of how people die as a result of their inability to access health care and the trauma expectant mothers go through to deliver their babies.

We don't want to believe national development is spread along the number of parliamentary seats won by the NPP as Mr. Freddie Blay, the NPP National Chairman wants the people of the Volta Region to believe that Voltarians are being punished for producing one MP which was reflective in the ministerial appointment by the president. This theory espoused by Hon. Freddie Blay is unpopular and was profoundly condemned by the Volta Parliamentary caucus. If the Blay theory is what will underpin the development agenda of H.E Nana Addo, we dare say it is unscientific, ill-informed and retrogressive to Ghana's forward march to self-actualisation.

'Ian Smith', the last Prime Minister of Rhodesia, said in his book, 'The Great Betrayal': “A statesman thinks of the next generation, a politician thinks of the next election." The NDC in the Volta Region is reminding H.E. the President of his promise and what he makes of his own promise, to enable us conclude on whether H.E. the President is a statesman or a politician.

Signed:

Sorkpa K. Agbleze

(Volta NDC Regional Communication officer)

Delali Bright Kugbeadzor

(Deputy Regional Communication officer)