Coronavirus in Ghana: Neglected Mahama Hospitals would have come in handy – Akandoh

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his government have shot themselves in the foot by not completing and operationalizing some of the hospitals constructed by the previous government of former President John Dramani Mahama.

This is according to the Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament Kwabena Mintah Akandoh who told AfricaNews Radio in an interview that medical centers such as the Legon Hospital, the Bank of Ghana Hospital among others neglected by the current government would have come in handy in this time of the Coronavirus outbreak if the government had paid attention to it earlier.

“If we had completed and operationalized hospitals such as the Bank of Ghana Hospital, it could have played a role. Why are we not speaking about the University of Ghana Medical Center; it is above all the hospitals in this country but because it is not fully operational, we are not talking about it. So we have a lot of abandoned health facilities in this country which if we had completed would have helped a lot,” he observed.

Following the outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus (nCovid 19) worldwide which has been declared by the WHO as a global pandemic and the subsequent confirmation of some cases in Ghana, there is a need for modern medical facilities capable of being used or converted into isolation centers.

According to the Ranking Member who is also the MP for Juaboso, there is a need for multiple isolation centers to be established across the length and breath of the country especially in the parts of the country which are far away from the major cities and towns.

“When you enter the Ridge Hospital, on your left there is a building called the VIP. That is the building that has been converted into an isolation center. We are supposed to have an isolation center in every region. I am coming from the Western North but we don’t have any isolation center in the Western North,” he said.

He also questioned the source of the 100 million Dollar budget announced by the President as an emergency intervention fund for the Coronavirus outbreak in Ghana.

He has therefore called on the Government to declare the source of the money while making a demand on the Finance Minister to immediatelly bring a motion on the expenditure of the proposed emergency intervention fund to Parliament for approval.

“The President has come out to announce 100 Million Dollars. The announcement of the money is different from making the money available for people to access. Where is the money coming from; why has it not come to Parliament for approval; if it is coming from consolidated fund or donor fund, we must know; how much? And the details of the expenditure, we must also know. And so, there are more questions than answers which has already been provided,” he said.

Source: Clement Akoloh || africanewsradio.com