By Elizabeth PUNSU
President John Mahama has instructed the Ministry of Health to develop a roadmap for the completion of the Agenda 111 health projects.
He underscored the need for alternative financing models such as public-private partnerships (PPP) and franchising to deliver the project.
According to the President, GH₵22billion is required to complete the project. He revealed that US$400million had already been allocated under the Agenda 111 project by the previous government, although none of the hospitals are operational.
The President pointed out that the money spent so far could have been used to complete at least 22 hospitals, with each hospital costing approximately US$18million.
The President said this when he delivered his maiden State of the Nations Address (SONA) on Thursday. He indicated that an additional GH₵22billion will now be necessary to finalise the projects.
“The US$400million spent could have completed, at least, 22 hospitals for Ghanaians. We will now require GH₵22billion to complete the projects,” the President said.
USAID withdrawal
In his address, President Mahama also highlighted the potential difficulties facing the country’s health sector due to USAID’s unexpected 90-day pause in services, which was announced without prior notice.
He noted that approximately US$78million – allocated for malaria, maternal and child health, nutrition and HIV/AIDS programmes – is now at risk.
“This will affect the delivery of medical commodities to regional medical stores and health facilities, especially in the Upper West, Upper East, Northern and Savannah Regions. USAID’s support for the National HIV/AIDS Control Programme, including the supply of antiretroviral therapies (ARTs) in the Western, Western North and Ahafo Regions, is also impacted.”
To mitigate these challenges, the President directed the Minister for Finance to make immediate financial arrangements in the upcoming budget.
ONUADOR Mobile Healthcare
The President also announced the revival of the ONUADOR mobile healthcare vans, which will provide outpatient services, ophthalmology, dental care, ENT and cancer screening in remote and vulnerable communities in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
Cholera, meningitis outbreaks
Regarding the cholera outbreak, the President confirmed that as of February 17 this year, there were 6,300 suspected cases, 545 confirmed cases, of which 49 deaths have been recorded across 118 districts in the Greater Accra, Central, Western, Ashanti and Eastern Regions. In view of this, an aggressive vaccination and public education campaign, among other interventions, have been launched to control the situation.
He, then, encouraged the practice of proper sanitary environment and personal hygiene.
On the meningitis, the president noted that the as of February 17, there were 135 suspected cases, 22 confirmed cases, and 16 deaths across ten districts in the Upper East Region; hence, free treatment has been instituted, and a national team of health experts has been deployed to encourage early reporting to health facilities.
President Mahama reiterated the government’s commitment to rolling out the Free Primary Healthcare Programme, which is vital for achieving Goal 3.8 (Universal Health Coverage) of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by removing financial barriers to basic healthcare.
Medical Trust Fund
The President further announced that plans are advanced to establish the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (MahamaCare) in the coming weeks. This fund will focus on financing the treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which have seen a significant rise in recent years.
“The government is committed to allocating financial resources to this project in 2025, with further support to be mobilised from private sector partners to ensure its sustainability,” he said.
The fund will address the financial burden of patients requiring dialysis, cancer care and other critical NCD-related treatments.
