The Minority in Parliament have accused the Akufo-Addo led government of misapplying €68 million fund secured for the construction of La General Hospital.
The caucus’ allegations come after an inspection of the construction site revealed that, work has not commenced since President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cut sod for the project on August 10, 2020.
The hospital, formerly known as La Polyclinic, was demolished in March same year for redevelopment purposes.
This was after the Ghana Health Service’s survey of the facility revealed that the five-storey structure had developed cracks rendering it unfit for use.
President Akufo-Addo speaking at the sod cutting ceremony noted that the redevelopment project was being financed by a credit facility from Standard Charted Bank of the United Kingdom, with an export credit guarantee from Sinsure of the People’s Republic of China, to the tune of €68 million, with an insurance cover of €3,860,349.18.
The National Democratic Congress caucus in Parliament observing that the project is yet to see the light of day, despite sourcing of funding, accused the government of misappropriating it.
“The facility we saw two years ago is still a park and the people of La deserve better than this. It has gone beyond the Minister because he has lied about it. The Minister’s attention was drawn to it on the floor of the House, and he gave a series of excuses and promised further to commence the construction and complete it, but we still are here.
“A facility which cost about 68 million euros, and you have only one trip of sand and gravels on the site. From all indications, work will not commence any moment from now. I am strongly convinced that they have misapplied the money. I want to be proven wrong. If they have not misapplied the money, they should come to the site and start work.”
The Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, made the remarks in an engagement with the media after the inspection of the site.
The hospital is expected to complement the Greater Accra Regional Hospital at Ridge in Accra and serve people living in Osu, La and Teshie as well as those living along the coast of Accra.
When completed, it will transform the capacity of the facility into a 160-bed facility. Ancillaries including an outpatient department, inpatient wards, maternity and neonatal services, will be added.
The new structure will also have surgical unit with four (4) theatres, accident and emergency department, public health department, pharmacy unit, laboratory, administration, imaging area with CT Scan, X-ray room, ultrasound, flouroscopy, mammography units; physiotherapy unit, and a mortuary.
