GOVERNMENT SEEMS to be struggling to rehabilitate, expand and develop various health facilities across the country due to lack of adequate funds for the projects.
Responses by the outgoing Minister for Health, Sherry Ayitey on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, July 9, 2014 to questions filed by Members of Parliament (MPs) indicate that government is now looking for sources of funds to construct and upgrade various health facilities.
Ms. Ayitey in response to one of the questions filed by MP for Achiase, Robert Kwasi Amoah as to when the Achiase health post will be renovated and possibly be upgraded to the status of a District Hospital said the ministry is aware of the need for a major rehabilitation and expansion of the health post to an appreciable standard.
However, she said, the ministry is in the process of arranging funding under various funding sources and added that “I wish to establish that as soon as funds are made available, the Achiase health post will be renovated into a district hospital.”
When probed further as to the timelines for securing funds, she indicated that they are working with the Ministry of Finance to get funds as soon as possible.
In an answer to another question on when the Agona Government hospital will be provided a theatre, the Minister said according to the Ghana Health Service Planning for Hospitals at the District Level, the Agona hospital has been ranked fourth for the rehabilitation in the Ashanti region.
Ms. Ayitey added that the ministry is in the process of sourcing for funds to carry out the recommendation of the report.
She said the Agona government hospital will “benefit from this exercise as soon as funds are made available” and added that the theatre in question was refurbished with the internally generated funds and funds from IPAS and Population Council in 2013 and has since April 2014 been put to use.
In her answer to another question by MP for Prestea/Huni Valley, Francis Adu-Blay Koffie, on what plans the ministry has to construct a new ultra-modern government hospital at Prestea, the Minister said the ministry has initiated steps and is sourcing for funds to set up hospitals in some selected towns.
However, Prestea has been slated for the Orio programme, a Dutch government programme, to be implemented in the Western region and added that “as you may be aware, the ministry of finance has signed the grant agreement paving the way for the implementation phase to commence.”
Responding to when the Bogoso clinic will be upgraded to a polyclinic status, the Minister said the Bogoso clinic is one of the five facilities to benefit from the Orio programme, which will be carried out in phases.
She further stated that currently; the development phase for the project has been completed and the Ministry of Finance has signed the grant agreement paving the way for the implementation phase to commence.
Explaining the Orio programme, the Minister said it is a Dutch facility sponsored by the Dutch government with a grant and commercial loan components.
She added that what the Finance Ministry signed was the grant component but the Ministry was yet to sign the commercial loan and be sent to Cabinet and Parliament for approval.
