News
Italian delegation pays courtesy call on health minister to advance retooling project for 37 hospitals
The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has received a delegation from the Government of Italy to deliberate on the ongoing collaboration between Ghana and Italy aimed at retooling 37 selected public health facilities across the country.
The meeting focused on advancing discussions surrounding a concessional loan agreement from the Italian Government to fund the retooling project, which was initiated in 2021.
The project seeks to transform clinical service delivery by equipping the targeted hospitals with modern medical equipment, replacing obsolete tools, and ultimately reducing the all-cause institutional mortality rate.
Speaking during the meeting, Akandoh highlighted key government priorities in the health sector.
These include the construction of six additional regional hospitals in the newly created regions, the upgrading of existing regional hospitals, and the establishment of a 500-bed Children’s and Fertility Centre of Excellence, among other initiatives.
Mr. Akandoh expressed appreciation for Italy’s commitment to Ghana’s health sector, describing the initiative as both timely and critical to enhancing health service delivery across the country. He assured that personnel would be trained to operate and maintain the equipment once procured.
The Italian delegation led by Stefano Gatti, Director General for development cooperation revealed that the Project’s Concept Notes, Pre-feasibility, and Feasibility Studies have all been completed and approved by the Ministry of Finance.
He reaffirmed his government’s readiness to support the initiative through a concessional loan and expressed optimism that the partnership would bring lasting benefits to Ghana’s healthcare infrastructure.
The Ministry remains confident that with continued bilateral cooperation, the project will advance to its implementation phase, ensuring that beneficiary health facilities receive the full complement of equipment required to meet the clinical needs of their patients.
The Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Abena Osei Asare has expressed concerns about the failure of the Administrator of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) Mr. Paul Adjei to honour invitation of the Committee to assist in dealing with abandoned projects cited in the 2024 Auditor-General’s report.
She emphasised that some of the projects have been abandoned for more than 20 years and it kept reoccurring in the Auditor-General’s report yearly, stressing that the GETFund Administrator could assist by prioritising these projects.
However, he has failed to personally appear before the Committee since the commencement of the Committee’s public hearing in the 9th Parliament.
According to the 2024 Auditor-General’s report on Pre-University Educational Institutions, nine (9) Institutions with 16 projects awarded by the GET Fund Secretariat had been abandoned/delayed for a period ranging between three (3) and 28 years.
Some of the affected schools include Adanwomoase Senior High School (Boys and Girls dormitory abandoned for 12 years), Atoa Senior High School (Home Economics Block abandoned for 27 years), Beposo Senior High School (Dinning Hall and Kitchen Complex abandoned for 10 years and lastly KNUST Senior High School (Three storey classroom block abandoned for 20 years).
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Energy continued its oversight responsibilities with a working visit to the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) yesterday.
Chairman of the Committee, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, said the visit formed part of efforts to familiarize members with the Authority’s operations and to explore ways Parliament could provide the necessary support.
He explained that the NPA’s work is focused on regulating Ghana’s downstream petroleum sector, a critical area for national energy security.
Mr. Bedzrah noted that the Committee is particularly interested in assessing whether the country has adequate petroleum stock to meet demand.
He noted that rising geopolitical tensions, including the ongoing US–Iran conflict, could have adverse effect on Ghana’s energy supply and pricing.
He further disclosed that the Committee intends to engage closely with the Authority on a proposed new petroleum bill.
According to him, a draft of the legislation will be reviewed and possibly presented to Parliament under a certificate of urgency.
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