Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has told the John Mahama administration to prioritise the completion and operationalisation of the Agenda 111 hospital projects.
According to Akufo-Addo, access to quality healthcare must not be subjected to partisan politics.
Speaking during the launch of the centenary celebrations of the Kyebi Government Hospital, the former president made this known.
Akufo-Addo noted that the completion and operationalisation of the Agenda 111 hospital projects would significantly strengthen healthcare delivery across the country.
It will be recalled that Agenda 111 was a flagship under the former Akufo-Addo government, which was designed to construct 111 hospitals nationwide to bridge gaps in access to medical care.
In related news, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, the Deputy Finance Minister, has disclosed that 35 contractors under the Agenda 111 initiative received US$7.9 million in mobilisation funds, but they failed to deliver work equal to the payments.
According to Thomas Nyarko Ampem, an Auditor-General on Arrears and Payables, as at the end of 2024, uncovered significant irregularities under the Agenda 111 project.
The Deputy Minister disclosed that the audit findings showed that some contractors who took the US$7.9 million did not mobilise to their respective sites, and others also failed to deliver work.
Speaking on the floor of parliament while presenting the Report of the Auditor-General on Arrears and Payables as at the end of 2024 in Parliament on Tuesday, March 10, Mr Nyarko Ampem stated, “Mr Speaker, the audit of Agenda 111 projects also revealed that a total amount of US$7.9 million was paid to 35 contractors as advance mobilisation under the programme, but these contractors have either failed to mobilise to the site or the work done is not commensurate with the amount paid”.
“The advance mobilisation guarantees secured by the 35 contractors who received the US$7.9 million have all expired. The Auditor General has subsequently issued notices of surcharge to the offending contractors,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dr Kwame Asiedu Sarpong, a Democracy and Development Fellow in Health at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has said Ghana’s Health crisis is a systems and people’s problem, not a bed problem.
He argued that Ghana’s Health crisis goes beyond ‘no-bed syndrome adding that the system is fundamentally broken.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on 24 February 2026, Dr Sarpong explained, “The problem is not a bed problem. It’s a systems and people’s problem. We’ve diagnosed the issues, but we’ve refused to intervene.
“The Health Harmonisation Assessment Report was a diagnosis of the health of our health system. When the diagnosis told us our health system was very, very sick, we did nothing about it,” he said.
Dr Sarpong added, “We needed retooling of our health system since 2014, but we haven’t done it. That’s a fact of our health system, and it’s why we’re still in crisis today”.
“It’s not just about where the beds are. It’s about the resources and the right medical expertise at each facility. If a hospital has a bed but lacks the proper expertise or equipment, sending a patient there is as dangerous as not having a bed at all,” he explained.
“For me, this needs to be investigated thoroughly again. And this time, the findings do not need to be shelved. We can’t keep sweeping these problems under the rug. If we don’t address the root causes, the cycle will repeat itself,” he cautioned.
He further added, “It shouldn’t be the responsibility of patients or their families to track bed availability. This should be accessible to health managers and emergency services to ensure patients are sent to the right facilities. We’ve talked about this for years. Why is it still not in place?”
“We have known what’s wrong with the system for years. Yet every time a tragedy happens, we react as if this is the first time we’re hearing about it. This must change. Until we address the root causes, more people will die unnecessarily. We must act now before it’s too late,” he warned.
He further added, “I hear the noises being made by the Ministry of Health and the Minister, and they are good noises. But at this point, these things have to happen quickly. No more delays. We can’t afford to wait any longer. These are not just policy recommendations; they are urgent needs”.
“We have mutual negligence at all levels, politicians, health managers and even the citizens. Everyone is turning a blind eye, and people are dying as a result. We need to stop looking for someone to blame and start fixing the system,” he stated.