News

‘Abandoned’ Mahama’s Maternity block: Group charges Sunyani Municipal Assembly for completion in 90 days

• By EDMOND GYEBI
• April 22, 2019
• 28

Executive Members of the Sunyani Local Accountability Network (LANet), a local branch of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GAC) have criticized the ruling Government led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for showing very little commitment towards completion of most important state funded projects that were initiated by the previous Governments, especially in the health sector.

The Anti-Corruption campaigners were particularly saddened about how this present Government which had promised to tackle uncompleted projects of the past Governments, and is also preaching a ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ agenda seems to repeat the same mistakes of the previous Governments. 


The heightened rage of the Sunyani Local Accountability Network members follows an alleged political mischief and deliberate refusal by the Government and for that matter the Sunyani Municipal Assembly under the leadership of the outgone Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Madam Evelyn Kumi Richardson to complete a new maternity block at the Sunyani Municipal Hospital. Madam Richardson who refused to hear the cry of the hospital to get a new ward for women in labour, is now appointed by President Akufo-Addo as the new Minister for the Bono Region.

The Maternity block project which was initiated by the erstwhile NDC administration and was 85% completed in December 2016, has since been abandoned. Numerous attempts by LANet and the hospital management to get the Sunyani Municipal Assembly to complete the Maternity ward had proven futile.

Currently, there is serious congestion at the existing maternity ward at the hospital and the facility according LANet members is in a very deplorable state which makes it unfit for proper maternal healthcare.


At interface meeting between the Assembly and LANet in Sunyani recently (on Thursday), the Sunyani Local Accountability Network gave the Assembly a three months’ ultimatum to complete the project or face the wrath of the local people.


Presenting its monitoring report on the maternity ward, the Secretary of the Sunyani Local Accountability Network, Mr. Raphael Godlove Ahenu said his outfit was particular about the completion of the maternity ward because it affects the lives of many pregnant women within the Municipality and beyond. 

He said the continuous show of insensitivity by the Municipal Assembly towards the all-important project was disturbing, since it sharply defeats efforts by government to achieve the SDG 3 which ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.


"We have been consistent in engaging the Assembly on this same project and they always promise that they will complete it in no time but they never complete; every day the same old stories. Our investigations have revealed that the Assembly currently owns the contractor to the tune of about Ghc150, 000.” 

The project, the report said was captured in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 action plans and annual budgets of the Assembly but the monies were unjustifiably not utilized for the intended purpose.


Mr Ahenu said their checks further revealed that although the Assembly had all its District Assembly Common Fund released to the tune of Ghc2, 085,309.21 in 2017 not a single pesewa was released to the contractor to complete the project. In 2018, the assembly received ghc782, 307.37 as the first and second trenches of the DACF again not even GHS 1 was released.


The Anti-corruption crusader, who is also the National Coordinator for WEA Business Coalition in Ghana, lamented that the situation where ruling governments abandon projects started by their predecessors was wasting away the resources of the state and also depriving the citizenry access to certain social rights.

He therefore called for a law that would it unavoidable of all incumbent governments to continue all significant national projects started by past government to ensure value for money.


"What worries us most is that the MCE is a woman who is supposed to take issues concerning women very seriously but she rather showed insensitivity to women issues”. 


Mr Ahenu therefore called on the incoming MCE, Madam Justina Awo Owusu Banahene to ensure that the maternity ward was completed as soon as possible to help the hospital to provide first class services to women in labour.


On the other hand, Mr. Ahenu commended the Municipal Assembly for re-awarding the Mental Health Block at the Sunyani Municipal Hospital on contract after advocacy by the Sunyani Local Accountability Network. This project when completed, according to him, would give mental health patients access to good healthcare.  


The Sunyani Local Accountability Network is a local branch of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, with funding support from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), is implementing a project title: “Strengthening Accountability and Transparency in the Utilization of public Resources at the Local Level through Active Citizen Participation to Enhance Quality Service Delivery and Development”

The project aims at increasing transparency and accountability in local governance by supporting Local Accountability Networks (LANets) to hold their District Assembly accountable for better development results.

Source: WatchGhana.Com