Minority Spokesperson on Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh says the government's commitment to completing the Agenda 111 projects is non-existent.

He attributed this to the stalling of projects on some sites since their commencement.

Even though government has spent more than $250 million translating to more than 2 billion cedis on the project, none of the facilities has so far been completed.

Speaking during the approval of estimates for the Health Ministry in Parliament, the Juaboso MP argued that government should have constructed the project in phases. This, according to him, would have helped in the steady completion of the projects.

“The commitment of this government is just a lip service ... Mr Speaker, they need more than 1.4 billion cedis to complete the whole project. After the cutting of the sword for the commencement of the project three to four years down the line, they have released only $250 million for the project. Per their own report, this $250 million cannot even finish 20% of the Agenda 111 projects…  the commitment is not there, it is just for political capital,” he said.

But, President Akufo-Addo during an address at the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons maiden awards night on Tuesday assured that the government is committed to improving the health delivery system in the country, pointing to the Agenda 111 initiative as evidence.

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President Akufo-Addo said the construction of the projects is ongoing and at various stages of completion. Furthermore, they are being undertaken by indigenous Ghanaian companies, providing both direct and indirect job opportunities for Ghanaians.

“The average completion rate of the 89 ongoing projects is 52 per cent with works on some of the sites being 70 to 80 per cent complete," he pointed out.

In a related development, the Chairman of the Health Committee, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie also took on government's low allocations to the Health Ministry, most of which are used to pay salaries.

According to him, “If the health sector will continue to spend about 72 to 75% of its budget on human resources, we are going nowhere.”

He therefore appealed for an increment in the Health Ministry’s allocation.

Meanwhile, Parliament has approved 15.5 billion cedis for the Health Ministry for 2024.