Launch of Sunyani Teaching Hospital is another intent by Akufo-Addo to deceive chiefs and people of Bono – Asiedu Nketiah

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has stated that the recent action by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP led government to convert the Sunyani Regional Hospital into a Teaching Hospital is a scam.

The Health Minister and MP for Dormaa Central, Hon Kwaku Agyeman Manu on Saturday, 18th November, 2023 on behalf of President Akufo-Addo, launched the conversion of the Sunyani Regional Hospital into a Teaching Hospital status.

This ceremony took place at the premises of the hospital with several dignitaries in attendance.

The National Chairman for the NDC in a press conference on Wednesday, 18th November, 2023, called on the people of the Bono Region to be weary of the cunning of the NPP and not to be swayed by them again especially in this runup to the 2024 general elections.

Addressing the media, Mr Asiedu Nketiah wondered how the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia led NPP government could attempt to again deceive the good people of the Bono Region knowing that there has been no resource allocation for this upgrade of the Sunyani Regional Hospital into a Teaching Hospital since that comes with a huge resource injection.

”As a matter of fact, the Finance Minister only last week, presented to Parliament what will be the last budget of this Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP administration. It will interest you to know that the 2024 budget made no provision whatsoever for a medical school or a teaching hospital in the Bono Region.

According to Mr Nketiah ”Parliament has not considered nor passed any legislation backing the establishment of a Sunyani Teaching Hospital; neither has Parliament considered nor approved any loan facility for these projects. Where, then is the funding for this project going to come from?

Mr Nketiah said ”for all intents and purposes, this is another deceitful sod-cutting exercise undertaken by President Akufo-Addo calculated to deceive the chiefs and good people of the Bono Region”.

Mr Nketiah gave an example of how Akufo-Addo in 2020 deceived the people of Dormaa of building an Accident and Emergency Centre which has never seen the day of light.

”It must be noted that, this is not the first time President Akufo-Addo and this NPP government will be making such empty promise of building an ultramodern health facility in the Bono Region. In the run-up to the 2020 General Elections, President Akufo-Addo organized a similar sod-cutting for the construction of an ultramodern Accident and Emergency Centre for Dormaa Presbyterian Hospital. The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana who graced the occasion was so glad that he equated President Akufo-Addo to Jesus Christ at the sod-cutting ceremony. Nearly four years down the line, that project remains a Trojan gift – empty, fraudulent and non-existent. Yet, this is the same man who is making a promise to the Bono people again” he added.

Again, the Sunyani Regional Hospital has not seen any refurbishment in the past seven years to enable it to play its role as a significant Regional referral hospital. To add insult to injury, there is no work currently ongoing at most of the Agenda 111 sites in the Bono Region especially the one at Berekum East which has been totally neglected. This, according to the NDC, leaves many in the Bono Region having to travel over long distances to Sunyani to seek medical care at the overstretched facility.

Mr Nketiah said ”we in the NDC do not think that essential projects like UENR Medical School and Sunyani Teaching Hospital must be subjected to empty promises, deception and cheap political sloganeering as we have witnessed under this failed Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government”.

Mr Nketiah said the NDC have important projects that touch the very heart and soul of the people of Bono but same cannot be said of the NPP in the region. To Mr Nketiah, the people of the Bono Region deserve a befitting Regional Teaching Hospital that matches modern standards but not a mere painting and renaming.

Mr Nketiah further called on the people of the Bono Region to embrace the superior policies and track record of the NDC in the region and vote for the NDC in the 2024 General Elections as the ruling NPP have taken the Bono Region, the birthplace of Prof. Kofi Abrefa Busia, the first leader of the Danquah-Busia Tradition for granted for far too long.