Parliament unanimously approved a credit facility of €47.1 million (approximately $55 million) to finance the second phase and expansion works at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), which has courted controversy recently over its closure.
Phase one of the state-of-the-art 617-bed hospital was completed in 2016 at the cost of $217 million but the Deputy Minister of Health, Kingsley Aboagye-Gyedu, told parliament on Monday that the facility will be opened to the public by the end of July 2018.
Phase II of the project will focus on provision of strategic income generating services for short, medium and long-term sustainability of the hospital, including a technical assistance package
In approving the facility, the chairman of the Health Committee of Parliament and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Berekum East, Dr Kwabena Twum-Nuamah, said the effective function of the projects undertaken under the first phase will largely depend on projects to be taken under the second phase.
According to him, the second phase will have cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon centre, neurosurgeon centre and provision of both drugs and drug consumables without which facilities under the second phase cannot work properly.
He indicated that there should be a dedicated power supply to the facility because of the state-of-the-art facilities and important consumables that would be at the hospital to ensure that facilities are always in top shape of standards to meet international standards.
“A further objective is for the medical centre when fully completed to serve as a centre for medical tourism for those in need of medical services within the sub-region and beyond for super tertiary care and specialties,” Dr Twum-Nuamah mentioned.
A ranking member of the Health Committee, Joseph Yieleh-Chireh, for his part, said the facility for the second phase has been delayed for 18 months because of suspension of work on that phase as result of change of power.
He urged the government to ensure that the project is also not delayed and executed on time to benefit Ghanaians and help raise revenue for the nation.
Mr Yieleh-Chireh stated that it is important that effective mechanism is put in place for the internally generated revenue to be well managed for the maintenance of facilities at the hospital.
Some of the minority members, including the MP for Ho Central, Benjamin Kpodo, and MP for Bia East, Richard Acheampong, appealed to the government to open an ESCROW account for any revenue internally generated revenue from the new facility because government will be tempted to use the money if it is deposited into the Consolidated Fund so that the money would be solely dedicated to the maintenance of the facility.
By Thomas Fosu Jnr