Agenda 111 is the biggest health investment made by any single government in Ghana, a very enormous health infrastructure to be initiated, funded and implemented by any government since the birth of Ghana.
The Moses of our time, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is the one spearheading this laudable initiative and he is determined to leave a legacy for this great country of ours.
There are three key factors that contribute to the acceleration and true development of any country, and these are;
- a) The development of the human resource of the country
- b) Effective and efficient health sector
- c) Industrialisation through digitisation
The aforementioned are all being vigorously pursue by the Akufo-Addo led NPP government to transform and develop Ghana beyond aid.
To appreciate the strides made so far by H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led government to transform and develop the health sector of Ghana and Agenda 111, it is very imperative to have a reference point through the refreshment of our memory of how the situation was, to be able to appreciate the situation now.
Prior to the swearing in of H.E. Akufo-Addo as the President of Ghana in January, 2017, he was confronted with;
- The legacy of abandonedment of over 45 years health infrastructure from the first, second and third Republic.
- Abandoned health infrastructure of Ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor.
- Abandoned health infrastructure of the late President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills
- Abandoned attempted health infrastructure by H.E. John Dramani Mahama and
- H.E. Akufo-Addo’s own health infrastructure ambitions
From 2017 to 2020 the Akufo-Addo-led government has completed majority of the inherited abandoned health infrastructure with the rest ongoing and even gone further to commence Agenda 111.
- H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has reactivated work for the construction abandoned 45 years ago. The 750 bed capacity maternity and children’s block at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital which will house 10 Operating theatres, Diagnostic rooms, fully equipped x-ray and ultrasound rooms, Mammography facility, Intensive Care Unit, a High Dependency Unit, Isolation rooms, Student lecture halls, among others.
- President Akufo-Addo has completed abandoned Euroget De-Invest health projects initiated and funded by the former President John Agyekum Kufuor in 2008 which was meant to be completed in 2011, that is three years after their commencements but was abandoned.
– Wa Regional Hospital, Ashanti Regional Hospital at Sewua, Ga East District Hospital at Kwabenya, Tepa District Hospital, Nsakwa District Hospital, Twifo Praso District Hospital, Konongo District Hospital, Salaam District Hospital, Military Hospital at Afari,
- H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is completed the NMS Infrastructure Limited abandoned health project left behind by the late President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills. These include Fomena Hospital, Kumawu Hospital, Abetifi Hospital, Garu-Tempane Hospital, Shai Osudoku Hospital and Takoradi Hospital.
- H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his first 4 years has also revamped Tamale Teaching Hospital, constructed 10 disease centres (Polyclinics) in the Central Region including Gomoa Potsin Polyclinic, Bimoong Egya Polyclinic, Estii Sunkwa Polyclinic, Ekumfi Naakwa Polyclinic, Dawurampong Polyclinic, Gyamera Nankrong Polyclinic, Biriwa Polyclinic, Bisease Naakwa Polyclinic and Akonfude Polyclinic.
Construction 5 Polyclinics in the Greater Accra Region include Ashiaman Polyclinic, Botianor Polyclinic, Adenta Polyclinic, Sege Polyclinic and Oduman Polyclinic.
He completed and Equipped Bekwai District Hospital, constructed and equipped 5 District Hospitals and a Polyclinic at Sawla, Buipe, Tolon, Somanya and Bamboi.
The President also constructed hundreds of CHPS Compounds across the country, constructed and completed offices and Health Headquarters at Ridge in the Greater Accra Region closer to the NHIS headquarters, expanded the Radiotherapy medical services unit at Korle Bu and Komfo Anokye teaching hospitals.
Additionally he has restored trainee Nurses allowances, lifted embargo on employment and employed nurses who sat home years after completion of school prior to his election.
He has provided 307 ambulances for the health sector with more underway, supplied ten’s of thousands of hospital beds to curb “no bed syndrome” prior to his election, cleared huge debts in the health sector, supplied drones to further enhance health delivery especially to remote areas and digitalised the health sector especially with NHIS.
Among many others, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his second term in office, in the midst of a deadly world Covid-19 pandemic has further commenced an Agenda 111 to build 101 hospitals at all Districts without hospitals, build 6 Regional Hospitals at all the 6 newly-created regions, build 1 extra Regional Hospital in the Western Region and build two Specialised Hospitals as well as the redevelopment of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital.
The benefits to be accrued include massive employment, improved access to health care, improve quality of health care of the people, cost reduction, increased patient satisfaction, improve general productivity of the country as well as improve life expectancy.
Generally, there will be improvement in the effectiveness, safety, timeliness, patent-centredness, access and efficiency in the health care system. All these are being made possible by the Visionary leader, competent leader, compassionate leader, Results-oriented leader, the Moses of our time, the Father of Infrastructure, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo!
God bless our homeland Ghana!
The author is a Development Communications Specialist, a PR Practitioner, Educationist, a gender and youth advocate
By Vera Wiredu