{"id":368592,"date":"2017-11-06T09:50:07","date_gmt":"2017-11-06T09:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=368592"},"modified":"2017-11-06T09:50:07","modified_gmt":"2017-11-06T09:50:07","slug":"ug-medical-centre-hasnt-been-handed-over-to-us-health-ministry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/11\/ug-medical-centre-hasnt-been-handed-over-to-us-health-ministry\/","title":{"rendered":"UG Medical Centre hasn\u2019t been handed over to us \u2013 Health Ministry \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Health Ministry has disclosed that the despite the completion of the first phase of the 597-bed capacity University of Ghana Medical Centre, it has not been operational because the facility has not been officially handed over to the Ministry.<\/p>\n

The facility has not been operational since its completion in November 2016, however, there are reports of disagreements<\/strong><\/a><\/span> over the legitimate manager of the facility \u2013 whether it should be managed by the Health Ministry or the University of Ghana.<\/p>\n

\"mahama-at-ug-medical-centre-11\"<\/p>\n

[contextly_sidebar id=”mfmTla9OSvIT7NZAflchsX7e6u7uxY7A”]In 2012, government signed a contract with Messrs Engineering and Development Consultant (EDC) of Israel to build the first phase of the facility, and hand it over to the university.<\/p>\n

The university designated 400 acres of land for the entire project.<\/p>\n

Sources close to the development told Citi News<\/strong> that, another agreement was subsequently signed between the Ministry of Health and the University of Ghana in 2015, which gave ownership of the\u00a0$217 million facility<\/strong><\/a><\/span> to the university.<\/p>\n

The phase one of the project was inaugurated by former President, John Dramani Mahama on January 6, 2017<\/a>,\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>and charged his successor Nana Akufo-Addo to work hard to ensure the facility is made fully operational soon.<\/p>\n

However, the facility is wasting away over ten months since its inauguration.<\/p>\n

Health Ministry\u2019s contradictory clarification \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking to the issue on the Citi Breakfast Show<\/strong> on Monday, the Head of Communications at the Health Ministry, Robert Cudjoe, gave contradictory responses on why the facility is not functioning.<\/p>\n

Whereas he rejected claims of a standoff between the Health Ministry and the University of Ghana, Mr. Cudjoe later alluded to that fact, following intense probe by show host, Bernard Koku Avle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is not part of the reason, I haven\u2019t seen any power struggle, only that we want to streamline the way the management of the hospital will go on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But when probed further, Mr. Cudjoe said: \u201cgo to Legon and ask whether it [the Medical Centre] has been handed over to the Ministry. Go and ask them. It was handed over to the Ministry or who?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"mahama-at-ug-medical-centre-10\"\u201cThere is no power struggle; the Minister just wants to tread cautiously to make sure that all things that need to be put in place could be in place.\u201d<\/p>\n

“I don\u2019t think that all the equipment have been fixed now \u2013 there are other things that need to be done, but at least, where ever it has gotten to, it can open for public use. And like I said, measures are far advanced to ensure that it\u2019s opened to the public\u2026even if it takes government a full year to get this hospital functional, I don\u2019t think anybody should be worried too much,\u201d Mr. Cudjoe noted.<\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n

By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
\nFollow @AlloteyGodwin<\/a>
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