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The reconstruction work on the La General Hospital project is progressing steadily, currently 20% complete. The project is slated for completion in 22 months. Concurrently, the Weija Gbawe Children’s Hospital project is nearing the finish line, with construction 60% complete, and expected to be finished by September this year.
These updates were disclosed by the contractors of the respective projects during an inspection visit by the Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, to the project sites yesterday.
At the La General Hospital site, the Project Manager of Vista, the consulting firm, Richard Nii Dadey, gave the assurance that the project would be completed within 22 months.
He said evacuation works had been carried out and other aspects of the facility would be constructed after they become certain of the other areas of work.
The manager also told the press that they were okay on how the government just released mobilisation fund on the project.
La General Hospital
According to him, after completion, the 163- bed units facility would house a five-storey Out-Patience Department, emergency, accident and other wards, administration and other offices.
The facility would also have seven-storey residential block, mortuary and other attachments.
Weija Gbawe Children’s hospital
Briefing journalists at the Weija Gbawe Children’s hospital, Joseph Adams, Contractor of Awerco Construction Limited, indicated that work on the facility would be finished and completed for hand-over by September this year.
He mentioned that the facility, when completed, would have waiting areas, consultation rooms, laboratories, pharmacy department, public health units, medical wards, operating suites, among others .
Charge
For his part, Dr. Okoe Boye charged the contractors to be expeditious, and expressed the hope that the project would be completed as scheduled to enable residents to access health care easily without stress.
He also pleaded with the contractors to employ the services of the locals in the community since most of the residents have the skills to support.
Dr. Okoe Boye said the inclusion of locals in the community was necessary because it would create jobs.
Particularly, the Minister said Weija Gbawe Children’s Hospital is poised to become a critical facility for pediatric care, offering advanced medical services to children in the area.
He expressed satisfaction with the progress of both projects, and emphasised their importance to strengthening the healthcare infrastructure.
He noted that these developments are in line with the government’s commitment to improving health services and ensuring that quality healthcare is accessible to all citizens.
He reaffirmed the government’s dedication to overseeing the timely and efficient completion of these critical healthcare projects.
Ultimatum
Meanwhile, the Health Minister has given officers a two-week ultimatum to clear the consignment of medical supplies stuck in containers at the Tema port which was offered to Ghana by the Global Fund.
Dr Okoe-Boye said he would be compelled to visit the port and sit there until the right thing was done.
“In two weeks, I myself will not be encouraged if there are one or two more containers still left at the port. If by two weeks, we still have containers at the port, you will not see me here, I’ll be sitting right at the port and I will sit at the port with them until everything comes out,” he said.
The Minister said there were two factors that accounted for what was happening. That, he said, were the processes the government had to go through to clear containers and lack of coordination between his ministry and the Ministry of Finance.
“We are committed to getting the containers in and for me, personally, irrespective of the bureaucracies involved with government and all that, I have given myself two weeks,” Dr Okoe-Boye said.
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