Why Asokwa Constituency missed out on government's Agenda 111 allocation

The Kumasi South Government Hospital, located at Atonsu-Agogo, is faced with increasing pressure on its workforce and logistics due to the number of people it serves.

Although the Member of Parliament for Asokwa Constituency, Patricia Appiagyei, is overseeing the construction of a 40-bed maternity block, two delivery rooms, and three consulting rooms, much more needs to be done for patients to enjoy good healthcare.

In a bid to ensure that her constituents enjoy quality healthcare, Patricia Appiagyei lobbied for the construction of a hospital at Asokwa, under the government's Agenda 111 initiative.

However, this vision could not materialise as there was no land available for the project.

Speaking to GhanaWeb's Ernestina Serwaa Asante on the Campaign Trail, Patricia Appiagyei noted that the Kumasi South Hospital does not have a mortuary and an emergency unit.

She was optimistic that her constituency could have secured a hospital under Agenda 111 but missed it due to the lack of land.

"It is interesting that this southern part of Kumasi, we were attending to people from Bosomtwe and the neighboring constituencies were using that place. Even Oforikrom, even though they had Tech Hospital. Some of them were coming to Kumasi South Hospital," she told Ernestina Serwaa Asante on GhanaWeb TV's Campaign Trail programme.

She also stated that "The hospital, as we speak now, does not have a mortuary, our theaters are very few, it's not too good so I was very elated that we were mentioned as one of the beneficiaries for Agenda 111 but unfortunately, I couldn't secure land... so it was taken out of us and all that we are trying to do is to enhance the hospital," she added.

Though she is trying to enhance the health facility by constructing some blocks, the project has stalled for now due to the high cost of building materials.

It would be recalled that the government secured a US$100 million start-up fund through the Ghana Investment Infrastructure Fund (GIIF) for the commencement of works on ‘Agenda 111’ district, specialized, and regional hospitals across the country.

The Project Implementation Committee, chaired by Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, had secured sites and land titles for 88 out of the 101 district hospitals.

Each unit, which sits on a 15-acre site, costs US$17 million and is expected to be completed within 12 months, starting from the point of commencement.

The objective of this project, as envisioned by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is to ensure that Ghanaians in every district and region in the country have access to quality healthcare services.

The provision of healthcare infrastructure is in line with the government’s commitment to ensuring universal healthcare for all citizens and the attainment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3).

SA/AE

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