Source: newsthemegh.com
Nii Lante Vanderpuye, the chairman of the Minority Caucus for Greater Accra, has threatened to organize a demonstration on behalf of the caucus and the people of La and Ga Mashie in the event that the government does not include financing for the La General Hospital in the 2024 budget.
During his speech in Parliament on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, Mr. Vanderpuye emphasized the determination of the Minority.
“I am assuring you that, if we don’t see it [La General hospital reconstruction] in the 2024 budget, we will not let the budget in this house pass.
“We will ensure that proceedings will be disrupted until we find the inclusion of the La General Hospital in the budget. We will demonstrate that you are on our land. This will lead to another showdown,” he said.
The Chairman of the Greater Accra caucus further added “We will ensure that the Minister of Health and the Minister of Finance will not have peace in their ministries. We are mobilising the people of La and Ga Mashie to occupy your offices if you do not prioritise the reconstruction of La General Hospital.”
The Majority Leader of Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has provided insight into the reason behind the delay in the reconstruction of Accra’s La General Hospital, blaming the project’s sponsors for their financial mismanagement.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu stated that Ghana’s interactions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were the reason these sponsors had withheld the payments.
“Mr Speaker, what has happened is that after the engagement with the IMF, funding from those sources that Parliament approved of, the funding has been withheld by the sponsors,” Majority Leader said
Additionally, he mentioned that the funds would only be released if Ghana was given a clean sheet of health by the IMF. Taking this into consideration, the government is thinking of putting the hospital project under Agenda 111, which could require a more modest approach.
In July 2020, the La General Hospital was demolished due to serious structural issues.
With both the Minority and Majority voicing their worries and perspectives on the issue, the tensions surrounding the urgently needed reconstruction of the facility are highlighted by the opposing viewpoints and the threat of protests.