A well-liked maxim “well being is wealth or wealth is well being” is as a result of when the physique is wholesome, the thoughts too is wholesome to concentrate on endeavours.
Sickness in any kind is a disadvantage, as anyone who’s indisposed and bedridden can not fend for himself or herself, not to mention make any contribution to nationwide improvement.
This state of affairs explains why our governments spend a better portion of our nationwide assets on wholesome as a result of a wholesome labour power promotes elevated productiveness.
Being abreast of the development of the Agenda 111 hospitals throughout the nation, the total extent was misplaced on me till I took a visit to 2 of those tasks at Paga and Garu, each within the Higher East Area.
I didn’t know {that a} revolution was going down within the well being sector. Sadly, the dearth of presidency communications in numerous sectors has denied folks details about what their heritage, the oil income, is getting used for.
The services in these district hospitals can be at par with some tertiary hospitals.
Committee members of the Public Curiosity and Accountability Committee (PIAC) undertook a tour of the area and districts to confirm work on petroleum income funded tasks.
Though members often have reservations in regards to the progress and high quality of labor on these tasks, the workforce that went to Paga and Garu had been excited in regards to the future route of well being supply within the nation. The spectacle is best skilled reasonably than obtained by way of secondary sources.
Rationale
The rationale for Agenda 111 was said on the sod reducing at Trede within the Atwima Kwanwoma District within the Ashanti Area on August 17, 2021.
PIAC Committee inspecting tasks at Paga
President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo described the initiative because the biggest-ever funding within the nation’s healthcare sector. On the time, the challenge was envisaged to assemble 101 district hospitals, seven regional hospitals for the brand new areas, together with a brand new one for the Western Area, two new psychiatric hospitals for the center belt and the northern belt and the rehabilitation of the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital within the Western Area.
President Akufo-Addo mentioned the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t solely disrupt lives and livelihoods but additionally uncovered the deficiencies within the nation’s healthcare system, due to under-investment and neglect.
The President additionally mentioned 88 out of 101 websites had been recognized for the graduation of labor on the district hospitals, and gave an assurance that the acquisition of the remaining 13 websites can be accomplished within the latter a part of the yr.
Amenities
On the time of the sod reducing, the President mentioned the trendy, absolutely outfitted state-of-the-art hospitals would have services for outpatient companies, together with session companies for medical and surgical instances, ophthalmology and dental companies, a physiotherapy unit, maternal and youngster well being unit, public well being unit, 4 state-of-the-art surgical theatres for maternity, obstetrics and gynaecology, accident and emergency, and for normal surgical procedure and imaging services.
As well as, every hospital may have the total complement of Male, feminine, paediatric and isolation wards in addition to assist services, which can embody a kitchen, laundry, sterilisation division, mortuary, power centre, upkeep division, and employees lodging for docs, nurses and different well being staff.
Constructing native capability
The federal government additionally describes Agenda 111 as a “Ghana First” agenda, which has been fastidiously thought by way of to encourage exercise and development in numerous sectors of the financial system, and assist additionally to deliver jobs to the youth.
In keeping with the federal government’s coverage to spice up native content material, a consortium comprising about 20 Ghanaian consulting corporations, made up of architects, civil, structural, electrical and mechanical engineers, amount surveyors, bio-medical engineers, and different technical groups designed these hospitals to replicate the nation’s distinctive home necessities.
These professionals are supervising the development of the hospitals, being undertaken by 250 native contractors to be maintained by home facility administration professionals, as a part of the federal government’s coverage of constructing native capability within the constructing and the development sectors of the financial system, which can assist to retain many of the cash within the nation to spice up additional funding within the nation.
All of the Agenda 111 hospitals are of a regular design of 60 and 100-bed capability relying on the dimensions of the inhabitants however with room for future growth.
Jobs
When these tasks are accomplished, it’s envisaged that Agenda 111 will present job alternatives for 20,000 well being professionals, due to this fact, give the Ministry of Well being to recruit extra docs, pharmacists, nurses and different well being professionals.
There may even be oblique jobs for the residents within the hospitals’ areas for individuals who promote meals, drinks, hospital consumables to the hospital, the employees, sufferers, transport enterprise and guests.
Genesis
Through the COVID-19 pandemic addresses by the president, which has come to be referred to as the “Fellow Ghanaians” sequence, President Akufo- Addo highlighted the unequal distribution of healthcare services within the nation, “as we’ve tended to focus our healthcare infrastructure in Accra, Kumasi and one or two different huge cities. As we’ve seen, epidemics and pandemics, after they emerge, can unfold to any a part of the nation.
The federal government thus recognized 101 districts with no secondary well being services in any other case referred to as district hospitals.
It was additionally realised that with the creation of six further hospitals, there was the necessity for six regional hospitals and a befitting one for the Western Area, in addition to the development of three new psychiatric hospitals for the coastal, center and northern belts.
It was additionally felt that the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital within the Western Area should be facelifted.
This want led to the formulation and declaration of Agenda 111, the most important ever funding within the nation’s healthcare sector. The Ghana Precedence Well being Infrastructure Challenge (GPHIP) is what’s known as Agenda 111; it has now been scaled as much as 104 with the addition of Karaga, Nkoranza and Manhyia.
State of labor
Work is ongoing at about 96 websites, with the tasks at numerous phases. Work ranges from about 10 per cent and 80 per cent, together with work on two psychiatric hospitals.
It’s the thought-about place of Well being-GIIF, chaired by Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, that about 20 of the hospitals must be inaugurated by December. He enumerated a number of the challenges hampering work to incorporate, cashflow, terminations on account of non-performance, incomplete documentation and certainly delays in land acquisition.
The Committee charged with the accountability to supervise Agenda 111, chaired by Chief of Workers, Mrs Akosua Frema Opare, is optimistic the President will inaugurate a variety of the Agenda 111 hospitals earlier than December this yr.
In response to Dr Nsiah-Asare, the Agenda 111 hospitals are generational in character, therefore they qualify to be legacy tasks, urging the usage of an even bigger portion of oil income to finish all of them.
“If oil income is used to finish the hospitals, each Ghanaian might be a beneficiary due to the unfold of the challenge and the significance of well being care,” he added.
The author is a member, PIAC.