The Ministry of Health has refuted media reports that the Accra Psychiatric Hospital has been sold.
The Herald newspaper on Monday reported that the government is taking steps to sell the Psychiatric Hospital to investors.
According to the newspaper, its outfit sourced a durbar held by the management of the hospital during which they were told that the land on which the hospital sits, has been sold to some foreign investors linked to the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
“They have been told that the foreign investors will take over the facility by June, this year, hence they should start psyching themselves up in readiness to leave the place; a state land”.
“The workers are not sure where they are to go next, as the government has not built any other such specialized health facility in Accra most, especially to move them, as well as their mentally ill patients to. Its sister hospital Pantang is nothing to write home about” the newspaper reported.
However, the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman- Manu reacting to the story in a post on his Facebook page said “It hasn’t been sold. It is to be redeveloped under Agenda 111 into a new modern 220-bed Psychiatric Hospital under an EPC Contract”.
According to him, “Tenders have been received and are being evaluated currently. Afterwards, it will go for VFM, Cabinet and loan will go for Parliamentary approval”.
He added that “Staff might be relocated to Pantang to make way for redevelopment, but the authorities will ensure that until and unless all steps towards getting the con-site or on-site are completed and the contractor is ready to commence work, there will be no relocation”.
– BY Daniel Bampoe