Agenda 111
The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) feels very much threatened electorally by the government’s Agenda 111 to bring quality health care to the doorsteps of the public at a cheaper cost, that is why it has started bastardising the project and calling for its immediate abortion.
According to the party, members of NDC led by the party’s former presidential candidate, John Mahama, are moving around the country telling Ghanaians that Agenda 111 is too ambitious and that the NPP government will not get the necessary funding to execute it.
The NPP has, therefore, assured Ghanaians that the government is fully committed to executing the project which will witness the construction of 101 district hospitals, six regional hospitals in the six newly created regions, one regional hospital for the Western Region, two psychiatric hospitals to be sited in Kumasi and Tamale and the redevelopment of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital.
At a press conference in Accra on Friday to assure Ghanaians of the government’s determination to transform the health sector for better health care delivery, the National Communications Director of the party, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, said the ambitious Agenda III project has put so much fear into the opposition NDC, hence its unpatriotic agenda to bastardise it as it did to the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme implemented by the NPP government to benefit millions of Ghanaians.
“The Agenda 111 project is to ensure that Ghanaians nationwide have access to quality healthcare services and with the National Health Insurance Scheme also effectively in place also boost the provision of health care infrastructure and financial accessibility to health care,” he disclosed.
According to Mr. Buaben Asamoa, the detailed Agenda 111 document has it that four state-of-the-art surgical theatres would be constructed for maternity, obstetrics and gynaecology while a full complement of male, female, pediatric and isolation wards will also be provided.
The NPP National Communications Director said the entire project which is scheduled to be completed in 18 months will become the largest investment in healthcare infrastructure in the country since independence.
“Agenda 111 will bring many jobs. If you are a doctor, you will get a job. If you are a nurse, you will get a job. If you are a laboratory technician, you will get a job. If you are a pharmacist, you will get a job. If you are a receptionist, you will get a job. If you are a cleaner, you will get a job. An accountant, driver, gardener, typist, electrician, cook, washman, security man, IT specialist, you will get a job. If you are a mortuary man, you will get a job.
“Already, some people have got jobs and they are working. Ghanaian consultants, architects, quantity surveyors, draughts men, printers have got jobs and are working under this. The NDC says we should stop them because Ghanaians cannot be trusted to work. Well, now that the works have started, let’s see if Ghanaians can work or not,” he added.
According to him, the NPP believes Ghanaian masons are good and can work, Ghanaian mechanics are good and they can work.
“Traders are also going to benefit from building Agenda 111 selling to the people who will work there after it has been built. Sand and stone, water, nails, wood, cement, glass, roofing, everything will be bought from Ghanaian traders. 111 sites with many buildings on each site will be good business for Ghanaians,” he stated.
Mr. Buaben Asamoa pointed out that NDC sees Agenda 111 as a game changer and also smells electoral defeat in 2024 and has therefore resorted to the archaic propaganda of compulsory regime change in every eight years.
“They are afraid this project will break the cycle of eight years for a ruling political party,” he indicated.
By Thomas Fosu Jnr