Rita Naa Odeley Sowah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for La Dadekotopon, has accused the government of toying with the lives of residents in her constituency following the abandonment of the construction of the La Dadekotopon General Hospital. The La General Hospital was demolished in July 2020 due to severe structural problems reported by the hospital administration.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cut the sod for the commencement of construction of the La General Hospital Redevelopment Project on August 10, 2020, but work has yet to begin. The Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, had earlier blamed the delay in the hospital’s reconstruction on the withholding of funds by the facility’s sponsors, citing Ghana’s engagement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the reason for the sponsors’ decision.
Responding to a statement made by Ms. Sowah, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu reiterated that the sponsors withheld the funds after Ghana’s engagement with the IMF. In an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM on Tuesday, Ms. Sowah expressed her disappointment, stating, “I am highly disappointed because, like I heard Jeffery say, it’s a barbaric act on the people of La Dadekotopon. We are talking about a general hospital, a hospital that caters for about 240,000 constituents. It’s like the government is just toying with the lives of the good people of La Dadekotopon.”
She further expressed her frustration, saying, “I am not satisfied, and it is a pain in my heart. The people of La are just dying because the health facilities are almost always choked.”
The La Dadekotopon MP proposed two options: mobilizing residents to occupy the Finance and Health Ministries or pressuring the government to relinquish control of the hospital land, allowing them to explore alternative construction methods.
In a similar vein, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, the Chairman of the Greater Accra caucus of the minority, threatened that the group, along with residents of La and Ga Mashie, will hold a demonstration if the government fails to include funding for the La General Hospital in the 2024 budget.
Addressing Parliament in Accra on Tuesday, he declared, “I am assuring you that if we don’t see it in the budget, we will not allow the budget to pass through this house. We will disrupt the proceedings until the La General Hospital is included in the budget. We will show you that you are on our land. This will be another showdown.”
He continued, “We will ensure that the Minister of Health and the Minister of Finance have no peace in their ministries. We will mobilize the people of La and Ga Mashie to occupy your offices if you don’t work on the La General Hospital.”
By: Abigail Arthur
