Firing of Health Workers Delayed Agenda 111 Hospital Implementation – Nsiah Asare

Former Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, has reiterated claims that the termination of appointments of nurses and health workers by the Mahama administration halted the operationalisation of already commissioned Agenda 111 hospitals.

Dr Nsiah Asare said the directive by the Chief of Staff affected the smooth take-off of the completed hospital.

Speaking to Citi News following President Mahama’s assertion that none of the Agenda 111 hospitals are in operation, Dr. Nsiah Asare said nurses and health workers were ready to run the facilities.

“We started employing 15,200 nurses, and remember the financial clearance was given in July. Public health services recruitment is a process, it is not an event.

“So if somebody comes to write a letter that anybody recruited or who started work or whose name is not on the payroll, they should go home, you have revoked, then who will go and work there.”

Similarly, former Deputy Minister of Health and Akim-Oda MP, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, had blamed the delay in operationalising some completed Agenda 111 hospitals on the termination of appointments for health practitioners recruited under the Akufo-Addo administration.

He said though three health facilities have been completed and fully equipped, they remain non-functional due to a shortage of medical personnel.

Speaking to Citi News after President Mahama’s State of the Nation Address, Acquah said “They are not operational because we have to put staff there, and the practitioners we have recruited are the same people they are sacking.

“So if you are terminating the appointment, GHS will not have the ability to post people to these facilities, but otherwise, we have mentioned that three facilities have been fully completed. We have done the tooling, and it is ready to be operated. We have the Trede in Atwima Kwanwoma, we have the Kokoben in Oforikrom, and then we have the Bokro in Ahanta West.”