Ghana: Local Authority Wastes State Cash

Captain  Anthony Cudjoe (Rtd), STMA bossWHEN the former Minister of Health of Ghana, Madam Sherry Ayitey jumped into her cross country vehicle and drove to Kansaworodo, a suburb of Sekondi, somewhere this year, she had one mission to accomplish – break the ground for the construction of a modern metropolitan hospital for Sekondi-Takoradi.

 With the chiefs, who were dressed in their expensive kente clothes and bussed to the venue, pouring libation to seek the intervention of the gods for the early completion of the project, Madam Ayitey held the pick axe and broke the ground to signal start of work on the multi-million dollar project, which is being sponsored by the government.

The project is among six others announced in the 2013 Sessional address delivered by President Mahama for execution in the various parts of the country, this year, with the aim of bringing healthcare to the door step of the people.

In the case of Sekondi-Takoradi, the Takoradi Hospital, locally known as European Hospital, would be renovated in addition to the construction of a new one announced by the President, which is to be executed by NMS Infrastructure Limited, a UK based Company.

But months after the ground breaking ceremony, amid pomp and pageantry, the land is still lying fallow, as not a single block had been laid on the ground.

Information picked up by The Chronicle indicates that authorities at the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) who acquired the land and paid the necessary compensation to those who had their property on it, are now saying the land is not suitable for the project.

The assembly claims gas pipelines pass through the land and, therefore, not suitable for the project.

The STMA is now searching for a new land at Eshiam, a community near Kojokrom, which is also a suburb of Sekondi.

When The Chronicle contacted the Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Emmanuel Tenkorang, he expressed surprise over the use of gas pipe lines as an excuse to relocate the project.

The GHS Director told this reporter in a face to face interview that the supposed pipelines are located 400 meters away from the Kansawrodo and, therefore, could not have been said to be the reason for the relocation of the hospital.

When asked whether the relocation was not going to impose another financial burden on the government, which had already used part of our scarce resources to survey, pay compensation and official break ground, the Regional Health Director refused to answer the question. He instead directed the reporter to contact the STMA.

But the Public Relations Officer of the STMA, Mr. John Laste, in an answer to the question, explained that: ‘The process of acquiring the land and paying compensation amongst other things on the new land was still ongoing.”

John Laste, however, told this reporter that the STMA had not paid compensation for properties on the Kansawrodo land that it had earlier acquired for the building of the hospital, which idea they have now abandoned.

“We were in the process of paying compensation when the issue of the Gas pipeline surfaced. So we only paid compensation for three acreage land,” he added.

John Laste contended that the STMA could not be blamed for any wrongdoing because they were only tasked by the Ministry of Health to acquire a land for the hospital project.

Meanwhile, the elected Assembly Member for the Kansawrodo electoral area, Nana Adjei, has on his part expressed extreme surprise for the reason given for the relocation of the hospital.

According to the assembly man, the Surveyor who was working on the land had told him that the Gas pipelines do not pass through the land.

He noted that the assembly had put itself into trouble by destroying land for the people and later abandoning the idea for which the land was acquired.

The Chronicle

 

 

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