Dr. Keskine Owusu Poku addressing the media
THE NEW Patriotic Party (NPP) has outperformed the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the area of hospital projects in the Ashanti Region.
This was contained in the findings of the Liberal Institute for Policy Studies (LIPS), a new center-right think tank, based in Kumasi.
Dr. Keskine Owusu Poku, the Executive Director of LIPS, said the group thoroughly compared the NPP’s and NDC’s eight years in government to reach their unbiased findings.
“Per our findings, the NDC did not complete nor commission any of the hospitals it initiated in the Ashanti Region from 2009 to 2016 when they were in government.
“On the other hand, the NPP in eight years, from 2017 to 2004, has initiated 24 new hospital projects with 19 under the Agenda 111 and five under the VAMED project,” he said.
The Executive Director of LIPS disclosed that “while the five projects under the VAMED, including Sabronum, Manso-Nkwanta, Suame-Anomangye, Drobonso and Twedie are completed and handed over to government, the Agenda 111 projects are at various stages of completion.”
Dr. Poku, who was speaking during the think tank’s maiden press conference in Kumasi on Tuesday, said they used scientific methods to reach their findings.
“The research was about healthcare initiatives and interventions, notably, in the area of hospital infrastructure. Three variables formed the basis of the research.
“These variables were, projects inherited, projects initiated and projects commissioned within the two term periods of the NDC (2009-2016) and the NPP (2017-2024).
“The NDC did not complete any inherited hospital projects from previous governments in its eight years (2009-2016) such as the Bekwai, Konongo, Tepa, Sawua and Afari as well as the KNUST 800-bed hospital.
“In sharp contrast, the NPP sought additional funding in 2019 to complete the age-long Bekwai Hospital and commissioned the same for use in 2021,” he pointed out.
According to him, out of the four Euroget projects, three have been completed with two, Konongo and Tepa district hospitals already in use, thereby boosting the healthcare needs of the citizens.
‘’We are a think tank whose preoccupation is to use research and data to evaluate the performances of the NPP and NDC, particularly in the Ashanti Region as well as other regions in Ghana subsequently,” he disclosed.
Professor Dr. Otchere Addai-Mensah, President, Dr. Keskine Owusu Poku, Executive Director and Victor Osei Poku, Director of Research, are among the founding members of LIPS.
Other members are Essel-Mills, Director of Administration and Finance and Jimmy Boachie-Ansah, Director of Policy Direction and Monitoring, with Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare as the Special Consultant.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi