Former public health expert, Kwame Asiedu Sarpong, has sharply criticized the recent commissioning of three Agenda 111 health facilities by President Akufo-Addo, questioning their readiness to function as hospitals.
Speaking in an interview on joy news, Sarpong pointed out that while the President’s actions were widely celebrated, what was actually commissioned were just buildings, not fully operational healthcare centers.
Recalling his public lecture at the British Council on September 18 of the previous year, Sarpong reiterated that even if the government succeeded in operationalizing just 20 of the proposed hospitals under the Agenda 111 initiative, he would support the administration.
However, he expressed skepticism about the readiness of the three commissioned facilities.
“Have you bothered to check if they have the full complement of equipment? If they have the necessary staff allocated to them? Has a budget been set aside for the recruitment of these staff, and how will they be paid?”
Sarpong asked, emphasizing that these are critical questions that have yet to be answered.
“What the President did was to commission buildings.
Don’t tell me the Frenchman commissioned hospitals,” Sarpong remarked, referring to the event where President Akufo-Addo cut the ribbon on the new health facilities.
“We have this history of doing this in our health system, where we have huge structures but no real capacity to deliver healthcare,” he added.
“President Akufo-Addo commissioned buildings not hospitals.”
– Kwame Asiedu Sarpong on why the 3 commissioned Agenda 111 facilities cannot be considered as hospitals. #JoySMS pic.twitter.com/WfMdvXywxi
— Joy 99.7 FM (@Joy997FM) December 19, 2024
