President Akufo-Addo has admitted that the initial timeline government gave for the completion of the hospitals under the Agenda 111 initiative was overly ambitious.

The project, which was commissioned in August, 2021, was scheduled to be completed in 18 months.

Delivering the 2022 State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Wednesday, he explained that many unforeseen difficulties caused delays in the construction processes.

However, he revealed that a greater part of preparatory work has been completed, with 87 projects currently under construction, adding that the projects will be completed for commissioning before his tenure ends.

“I have to report that, like all major construction projects, it is evident that the initial schedule we gave for the completion of the Agenda 111 was overly ambitious. Identifying suitable sites around the country, for example, has turned out to be even more problematic than had been anticipated.

“I am able to say that a great deal of the preparatory work has now been completed, and work has started at 87 of the 111 sites. I have been assured that preliminary work on the remaining 24 sites is ongoing. We have every intention of seeing this project through to a successful end, which will enable me to commission all one hundred and eleven 111 hospitals before I leave office on 7th January, 2025,” he said.

He hinted that 34,300 health workers will be employed under the Agenda 111 initiative when the projects are completed.

In addition to this, he stated that the ongoing project will create jobs for about 33,900 construction workers who would assist with the construction of the various hospitals across the country.

He said this would help the state deal with the deficit in health infrastructure, which hamper the effective delivery of healthcare and lead to loss of lives.

“It is an ambitious project, which must and will be done, and which will create some 33,900 jobs for construction workers and, on completion, some 34,300 jobs for health workers,” he said.

Agenda 111

President Akufo-Addo on August 17, 2021, launched the Agenda 111 project.

The project will cover the design, procurement, construction, equipping and commissioning of 101 District Hospitals, 6 Regional Hospitals in newly created regions, and 1 Regional Hospital in the Western Region, 2 Psychiatric Hospitals in Kumasi and Tamale a redeveloped Accra Psychiatric Hospital.

The project is to ensure that Ghanaians nationwide have access to quality healthcare services and with the National Health Insurance Scheme, boost the provision of healthcare infrastructure and financial accessibility to healthcare.

Doctors, nurses and other health personnel will have accommodation in the hospitals to be constructed.

According to the Agenda 111 detailed document, the facilities that will be enjoyed by Ghanaians include four state-of-the-art surgical theatres for maternity, obstetrics and gynaecology, a full complement of male, female, pediatric and isolation wards, among others.

According to government, on completion, the venture will be “the biggest investment in healthcare infrastructure in the country since independence.”