Economist Dr. Peter Terkper has questioned the necessity of the previous government’s Agenda 111 hospital project, arguing that Ghana should have focused on improving existing healthcare facilities rather than embarking on a large-scale construction plan.
Speaking on Prime News on ABC News GH, he noted that while the initiative aimed to expand healthcare access, it was overly ambitious and unsustainable.
“We did not need 111 hospitals; what we needed was to resource the already existing ones,” he stated.
According to him, many of the country’s hospitals already face shortages of medical personnel, equipment, and essential supplies, making the construction of additional facilities a misplaced priority.
He cautioned that if not properly managed, the hospitals could become white elephant projects, abandoned due to lack of funding and maintenance.
Dr. Terkper urged the government to focus on strengthening the health sector’s existing infrastructure rather than embarking on projects that might not be financially feasible.
He emphasized that while the Agenda 111 initiative was well-intentioned, its implementation lacked strategic planning, and resources could have been better allocated to enhance healthcare delivery in already established hospitals.
