- "And as we speak, in the coming few days, some might even [received] signals to come for award letters for the project to start, so we have gone through a lot of processes. There have been assessment, there have been evaluation, companies have submitted their proposals we have gone through PPA."
Government is to begin issuing letters to contractors for the construction of over 100 health facilities nationwide under the Agenda 111 project soon, deputy health minister, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, has disclosed.
Speaking on Asaase Radio’s Town Hall Talk show with Beatrice Adu, Okoe Boye revealed some of the contractors who have gone through rigorous assessment will soon be given the green light to commence work.
“As I speak, through the very hard work of this government, the President, the chief of staff, companies that were taken through rigorous processes at the Public Procurement Authority to see whether they had the capacity to handle the project have gone through all the processes,” he said.
Okoe Boye added: “And as we speak, in the coming few days, some might even [received] signals to come for award letters for the project to start, so we have gone through a lot of processes. There have been assessment, there have been evaluation, companies have submitted their proposals we have gone through PPA.”
Action after inauguration
He was optimistic cutting of sod for most of the projects will commence shortly after the inauguration of president Akufo-Addo on 7 January 2021.
“And as we speak, we need a few weeks or days after the inauguration of the President-elect. It will just be days after that and we will see sod cuttings.
“We are very serious about Agenda 111. We have moved from seriousness to working on documents, we have moved to public institutions like PPA to get necessary approvals and now we are at the stage where contractors will come for their papers and start work,” the deputy health minister added.
Government is hoping to use local construction firms to execute its 100-bed hospital project in at least 88 districts under the Agenda 111. The plan will see the designing, building, equipping, and staffing of new hospitals in every district without one.
In addition, the government will also provide a new regional hospital in every region without one. President Akufo-Addo first announced the ambitious plan to construct the 88 hospitals as Ghana grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic in April.
He also promised to construct six new regional hospitals and rehabilitate the Effia Nkwanta Hospital in Sekondi, which is the regional hospital of the Western Region.
Fred Dzakpata
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