President John Dramani Mahama has criticised the implementation of the Agenda 111 hospital project, describing the decision to commence all 111 hospitals simultaneously as “not a very prudent idea.”
The President made the remarks when the Regent of Nanung, Bimbilla Naa Andani Dasana Abdulai II, led a delegation from the Northern Regional House of Chiefs to the seat of government for an engagement.
Speaking on the state of healthcare infrastructure, President Mahama questioned the approach adopted under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s Agenda 111 initiative.
“With the Agenda 111 hospitals, I don’t think it was a very prudent idea to start 111 hospitals at the same time. At least there should have been a phased approach,” he stated.
He noted that while some facilities remain at foundation level, a category of contractors collected mobilisation payments from the state and subsequently failed to return to their sites.
“Some are on foundation stages, while some contractors also took mobilisation and never went to sit,” the President said.
He disclosed that the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) is pursuing some contractors over the matter.
President Mahama announced that his government has identified 35 hospitals that were closest to completion and has earmarked them as the immediate priority. Adequate budgetary provision, he said, will be made in the next national budget to clear an additional batch of the stalled facilities.
Beyond state funding, the administration is also exploring a public-private partnership model, engaging organisations willing to adopt and complete specific hospital projects and bring them into operation.
The Agenda 111 project was launched by the Akufo-Addo administration to improve healthcare delivery across the country through the construction of district and regional hospitals. However, the initiative has faced criticism over delays, funding challenges, and abandoned project sites in some parts of the country.