Ghana’s development must be a continuous process – ER NPP lament non-recognition of contribution to health infrastructure (2025)

The Eastern Regional branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said that the five newly completed health facilities handed over by the Ministry of Health on April 3 were built by former President Akufo-Addo’s administration to augment region’s healthcare infrastructure.

While the completion of these hospitals in Jumapo, Kwabeng, Nkwatia, Adukrom, and Achiase is a welcome development, the NPP has expressed disappointment that the current government failed to acknowledge the erstwhile administration’s role in these hospitals.

This is contained in a press release issued by the Chairman of the Eastern Regional branch of the NPP, Jeff Konadu Addo dated April 4.

“Yesterday, the Ministry of Health officially handed over five newly completed health facilities in the Eastern Region for operationalization by the Ghana Health Service. While this is undoubtedly a positive step for healthcare accessibility in the region, it is disappointing, though not surprising, that the current government failed to acknowledge the true origin of these projects,”Mr Addo wrote.

He added that “These health facilities, located in Jumapo, Kwabeng, Nkwatia, Adukrom, and Achiase, are not initiatives of the present administration but rather the direct result of Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s vision and commitment to healthcare infrastructure development. The Eastern Regional Communication Directorate of the NPP had previously detailed these projects, outlining how they were part of a broader initiative approved in April 2020 under Nana Addo’s leadership.”

According to Mr Addo “The people of Ghana deserve transparency, not selective storytelling. Furthermore, beyond these five hospitals, the Nana Addo administration initiated several other major healthcare projects in the Eastern Region, including:

– The Eastern Regional Hospital Expansion: A 600-bed facility, with the first phase of 285 beds under construction, set to transform healthcare delivery in the region.
– Agenda 111 Projects: District hospitals in areas such as Ofoase, Apegusu, Coaltar, Akim Swedru, Tease, Adeiso, Manso, and Abomosu.
– Anyinam Trauma Hospital: A specialized facility to enhance emergency healthcare.
– Retooling of Kwahu-Atibie Hospital: Part of a €40 million contract to upgrade four key hospitals in the region.
– Drone Medical Delivery System: Suhum hosts the first drone distribution center for essential medical supplies.

All these projects were carefully planned, initiated, and in various stages of execution before the current administration took over. Ignoring these facts only exposes the lack of sincerity in their public communication. The reality remains that Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo laid a solid foundation for healthcare infrastructure in the Eastern Region,” the NPP contended.

The NPP stated that these facilities were built from a €79 million loan facility for the construction of 11 hospitals and one polyclinic, five of which were earmarked for the Eastern Region.

Despite this, the government’s recent statement made no mention of the Akufo-Addo administration’s role, attempting instead to present these projects as their own initiative.

“The least the current administration could do is to give credit where it is due. Ghana’s development must be a continuous process, not a game of political point-scoring. If we are to foster a culture of continuity and progress, we must ensure that the truth is not buried under political convenience. The people of Ghana are watching, and history will not be kind to those who seek to distort the facts,” the Eastern Regional Chairman of NPP concluded.