The member of Parliament for the Kwadaso constituency in Kumasi, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto has hinted that the Defence Minister, Lt. Gen. Henry Smith might be dragged before Parliament to answer questions on the relocation of a proposed Military Hospital in Kumasi, to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra. Dr. Akoto disclosed that the proposed Hospital project, which was initiated by Dr. Kwame Addo Kufuor, the former Defence Minister, under President Kufour’s regime, has been relocated to Accra with the intention of diverting the funding for the Kumasi project to expand the 37 Military Hospital in the country. The MP, who was speaking to The Chronicle in an exclusive interview, has indicated that the Defence Minister would soon be invited before the House to answer questions as to why such a project that was supposed to benefit the people of the entire Northern sector and Sahel countries be relocated to Accra, which already has an international standard Military Hospital. Dr. Afriyie Akoto, whose constituency the proposed hospital was supposed to be built, explained that the NPP government could not start the project before living office, because of late negotiation of funding for the project. He said “It was the hope of the people of Kumasi and the northern sector as a whole, that the current administration would have commenced the project, but to our dismay, the project which was initially said to have been relocated to Tamale, Takoradi and Sunyani at various points in time, had finally been relocated to Accra. The Kwadaso MP revealed that at the time the former Defence Minister was initiating the project for the Kumasi Military Hospital, he had embarked on an expansion and renovation of the 37 Military Hospital, and queried why the project should again be taken to the same hospital, which has already received massive development under the NPP government. Dr. Afriyie Akoto was of the view that the NDC government did not have the people of Ashanti and for that matter the northern sector at heart, hence the decision to relocate the project to Accra, adding “the minority would fight till the government of the NDC rescinds its decision”. According to him, the Northern sector in general needed an international accident and emergency centre, since the Komfo-Anokye Teaching Hospital alone could not cater for the huge number of emergency and accident cases that are reported to the hospital daily. He said the KATH emergency centre which got expanded under President Kufuor is still grappling with problems, as most patients could not get beds resulting in majority of them spending more time at emergency wards a situation which necessitated most patients to be turned away due to lack of space and facilities. Dr. Afriyie Akoto indicated that the proposed Military Hospital at Sofoline in Kumasi needs to be pursued with the needed attention. Meanwhile, the Regional Coordinating Director of the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council, Mr. Kusi-Appiah has told the paper that he is not privy to the issue. He said the Ashanti Regional Minister would not be in a position to comment on it either, since he was not in office at the time.