The Chairman of Parliament's Health Committee, Dr Nana Ayew Afriye, has described former President John Dramani Mahama as inconsistent over his recent comments on the Agenda 111 Hospitals project being pursued by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led administration.

According to him, the opposition leader's description of the project as overly ambitious contradicts the manifesto put out by the National Democratic Congress ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

"The press conference led by myself on behalf of the majority was to drum home a situation that, if not checked... this country will be led by leaders based upon what they say and not what they mean, and that is based upon the claim by the former president that we should have focused on Agenda 111 by stating that maybe we will do about 40 hospitals and that he thinks it was an over-ambitious position for the president and then also that it was unrealistic.

"I think that couldn't have been the position of the former president. It makes him absolutely inconsistent," he stated in reference to a press conference he led for the Majority in Parliament earlier on Tuesday, March 19, 2024.

Speaking as a guest on Joynews' PM Express on Tuesday night, Dr Nana Afriye, who is also the Member of Parliament for Effiduase-Asokore, explained that the NDC, in its 2020 manifesto, promised to construct about 96 hospitals across the country.

"Therefore, what was the reason why the NDC came out with this? Was it that it was mere talk, mere rhetoric? And if you say we are over-ambitious and we could have cut it to 40, you are going to 96. So what were you thinking about when you were going for yours, and what were we also thinking?" he stated.

He described President Akufo-Addo's ambition of 111 new hospitals as a laudable step towards ensuring universal healthcare delivery for Ghanaians.

"We would go for optimism. All over the world, there have been leaders who have been bold; they will come out with a policy, and people will say no, you can't do it. They may start, and others will complete it. In history, they have been vindicated," he added.

The initiative, inaugurated by President Akufo-Addo on August 17, 2021, aims to construct a total of 111 district hospitals throughout the country to improve access to healthcare.

Despite the project's delivery delay due to the current economic challenges, the health committee chairman said the government hopes to have 50 to 60 of the hospitals ready for commissioning by the end of the year.

He cited, among other reasons, land litigation issues as some of the reasons accounting for the delay in construction.

He noted that under previous administrations, only about 12 hospitals had been constructed and commissioned, thus making President Akufo-Addo's Agenda 111 a novelty.

GA/SARA

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