President Nana Akufo-Addo on Saturday inspected the abandoned 1,000-bed maternity & paediatric block at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital as part of his visit to the Ashanti Region.
The project has been neglected for the past 37 years after it started in 1974.
The construction firm, which is handling the project, Cymain Construction Limited, assured President Akufo-Addo that it could complete the project in two years with the requisite funding.
The architectural consultant for the project, Betsy Owusu-Antwi, told the President $75million was needed to complete the project.
According to her, $40 million of the amount will be for purchasing medical equipment, with the remaining $25 million needed for civil works on the project.
“We are hoping that if these monies are made available, we can finish roughly in two years,” the consultant said to the President.
The Chief Executive Office of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Dr. Joseph Akpaloo, also appealed to the President to help see to the completion of the project to address the hospital’s congestion issues.
“We just want the block to be finished as early as possible. For us, our cries are for the patients to have space and be comfortable, and for the workers to also feel free and to work from their hearts,” Dr. Akpaloo said.
In the meantime, an Israeli firm, Mitrelli Group of companies, has expressed interest in completing the abandoned project.
The Mitrelli group is currently in Ghana looking into the possibility of landing the legal contract to work on the project.
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By: Lauretta Timah/citifmonline.com/Ghana