Veteran journalist and Editor-in-Chief of The New Crusading Guide Newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has responded to comments by the host of Onua TV Morning show, Captain Smart on the Euroget Hospital projects.
Captain Smart during last Thursday’s edition of his usual cacophonous monologue accused Mr Baako of churning out “factual inconsistencies” about the construction of the Euroget hospitals.
Kweku Baako in a response expressed shock at Captain Smart’s assertion.
According to him “In the first place, Captain Smart invented his own falsehood and proceeded to challenge me to contest an alleged claim that J.A. Kufuor cut sod for the Euroget Hospitals. Personally, I have never said anywhere that JAK cut sod for any of the Euroget Hospitals. And so Captain Smart generated his futile challenge on a non-existent and false premise”.
He further added, “How could JAK have performed any such act when the loan agreements for the 9 Euroget Hospitals were approved by Parliament in October and November 2008; while the NPP Administration exited power in January 2009 as a result of the victory of the Mills-led NDC in Election 2008? Interestingly, Captain Smart referenced a Cabinet document, which he claimed, indicated, that the Euroget Hospitals numbered 7 in all.”
That Cabinet document must be suspect! I say so because it is a notorious fact that the Euroget Hospitals are/were 9 in total!
Factually, the Euroget Project consisted of 8 Hospitals (2 Regional Hospitals and 6 District Hospitals under the canopy of the Ministry of Health-MoH & 1 Military Hospital for the Ministry of Defence-MoD). These basic facts are captured in Parliamentary/Hansards and official Government/Cabinet/MoH/MoD records. These records should be easily available and accessible to any serious student of research and media practitioner.
“A Cabinet Memo dated July 2012 signed by three Ministers; namely, Mr Alban Bagbin (Minister of Health); Lt. General JH Smith (Minister of Defence) and Dr Kwabena Duffuor (Minister of Finance & Economic Planning) had this to say: “Hon. Ministers may recall that Government in 2009 took over the execution of this project, which was initiated by the previous administration in November 2008, having received both Cabinet and Parliamentary approvals in November 2008. The project covers the construction of (i) 8 hospitals for the Ministry of Health as follows:
*Wa – 160- bed regional hospital
*Salaga-60-bed district hospital
*Tepa -60-bed district hospital
*Konongo-Odumase-60-bed district hospital
*Nsawkaw-60-bed district hospital
*Kumasi South- 250-bed district hospital
*Twifo-Praso-60-bed district hospital
*Adenta/Madina-100-bed district hospital.
And (ii) a 500-bed military hospital for the Ministry of Defence”, he added.
The Adenta/Madina project was subsequently relocated to Kwabenya, GA East. Also, the ‘Kumasi South project was/is a REGIONAL Hospital. And not a DISTRICT one as stated in the Cabinet Memo under reference.
Surprisingly, Captain Smart would talk about “factual inconsistencies” on my part when it appears; that he was speaking based on a Cabinet document of doubtful validity!
According to Kweku Baako, his position on the genesis and trajectory of the Euroget Hospitals Project, has been stated over and over again, to the extent that he is fatigued continuing to engage persons who appear and sound inflexible, static and even ignorant about the subject matter.
“Fortunately and thankfully, my position was articulated by President Akufo-Addo when he commissioned the Upper West Regional Hospital (Wa) in August 2019. Hear him: “This project has passed through the hands of four successive Presidents of Ghana. It was initiated and begun under His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, it was continued by his successor, His Excellency, the late John Evans Atta Mills, and his successor, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama and has been commissioned by me. This is a good statement about our country, our institutions, and our governance”. Need I say more, he queried.
Mr Baako also dismissed claims that the Akufo-Addo government, since 2017, has not completed a single health facility inherited from the erstwhile Mahama regime.
Reacting to it, the veteran journalist said, “Somebody should inform Captain Smart that the Akufo-Addo administration continued the construction equipping, and completion of 10 Polyclinics in the Central Region, which were commenced by the Mahama administration before 2017.
Records at the Ministry of Health (MoH) indicate that works on those Polyclinics were completed and commissioned for use in August 2018.
He may need to update and upgrade his knowledge and information, accordingly.
This is in sharp contrast to his view that no health facility inherited by Akufo-Addo Administration, has/had been continued and completed since 2017!”