'It's impossible for Akufo-Addo to build 88 district hospitals' - NDC Communicator

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Deputy Communications Officer of Jomoro Constituency in the Western Region, Emmanuel Ndarko Benle has watered down President Akufo-Addo's pledge to build 88 district hospitals and 6 regional hospitals.

Speaking in a televised address to the nation during his updates on Ghana's situation on the COVID-19 pandemic on Sunday, April 26, 2020, President Akufo-Addo said "There are 88 districts in our country without hospitals. We have six new regions without regional hospitals. We do not have infectious disease control centres dotted across the country and we don't have enough testing and isolation centres for diseases like COVID-19. We must do something urgently about this".

"That is why the government has decided to undertake a major investment in our healthcare infrastructure – the largest in our history. We will, this year, begin constructing 88 hospitals in the districts without hospitals. It will mean 10 in Ashanti, nine in Volta, nine in Central, eight in Eastern, seven in Greater Accra, seven in Upper East, five in Northern, five in Oti, five in Upper West, five in Bono, four in Western North, four in Western, three in Ahafo, three in Savannah, two in Bono East and two in North-Easter regions", he added.

President Akufo-Addo emphasized that the deadly Coronavirus pandemic has exposed the massive gap in health infrastructure in the country and the need for government to attend to it.

But, in an interview with Daniel Kaku, the NDC outspoken Communicator stated that President Akufo-Addo should not be trusted when it comes to delivery of promise.

He added that the President has failed to complete the existing hospitals started by his predecessor, Mr. John Mahama.

"A President who cannot even complete existing hospitals for use cannot be trusted when he promises to build new ones", he said.

According to the Deputy Communications Officer, previous promises of the president couldn't be fulfilled because they were knee jerk promises.

Some of the failed promises enumerated by the Deputy Communications Officer include the promise of One District One Factory, One Village Onene Dam and the promise to build 350 brand new SHSs in 18 months.

Speaking to Daniel Kaku, the NDC Communicator reiterated the President's failed promise to the good people of Jomoro in June 2019 at Half Assini where the President pledged to cut sod for the commencement of a fertilizer factory within six (6) weeks.

Another failed promise of president Akufo-Addo to the people of Ghana is the promise of one million dollars per constituency. Mr Emmanuel Benle posited that he hasn't seen a $3 million investment in Jomoro as the President promised and that he would never trust a president who has consistently failed to honour his promises.

"I want to ask President Akufo-Addo where is the polyclinic he promised to build at Elubo in Jomoro here, I want to also ask where is the District Hospital President Akufo-Addo promised to build at Axim in 2018?", he quizzed.

He, therefore, took the opportunity to commend former President Mahama for building four (4) CHPS compounds for the people of Jomoro even though Mr. Mahama did not promise to do so.

He advised Ghanaians to kick against the second bid of Akufo-Addo-led government and bring back NDC to power on December 7, 2020.