With technology we can build 88 new hospitals in 1 year – GREDA

Based on technology and engineering, the 88 new hospitals announced by the president can be built in just one years, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Real Estate Development (GREDA) Samuel Amegayibor, has said.

The government intends constructing 88 hospitals to close the gap of assessing healthcare in the country following the outbreak of the COVID-19.

Mr Amegayibor told Accra-based Class FM on Tuesday that “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”.

“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”,

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.”

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 tlocal 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.