Think Tank Report: NPP outperforms NDC in Ashanti Region health sector

Ghanaian

A recent study conducted by the Liberal Institute Policy Studies (LIPS), a center-right think tank, has compared the performance of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the health sector of the Ashanti Region.

The analysis, according to Graphic Online, based on data from the past 16 years, indicates that the current NPP government

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According to Dr. Kerskine Owusu Poku, the Executive Director of LIPS, the NDC, during its tenure, failed to complete any of the six hospital projects it inherited in 2009.

These projects included the Bekwai Hospital and four Euroget projects initiated by the previous Kufuor regime, as well as the 800-bed Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Teaching Hospital. Despite securing funding for some of these projects, the NDC was unable to finish them.

In contrast, the NPP, after seeking additional funding, completed the long-standing Bekwai District Hospital in 2021 and three out of the four inherited Euroget projects.

The NPP also secured a loan of €80 million to continue and complete the 800-bed KNUST Teaching Hospital, which had been abandoned for eight years under the NDC government.

Dr. Poku highlighted that the NPP initiated 24 new hospital projects during its tenure, with 19 under the Agenda 111 and five under the VAMED project.

While the VAMED projects have been completed and handed over to the government, the Agenda 111 projects are still in progress.

This contrast in health infrastructure development between the two parties, according to Dr. Poku, demonstrates the NPP's stronger record in the Ashanti Region.

The report underscores the importance of data-driven evaluations in assessing government performance and highlights the need for continued efforts to improve healthcare infrastructure in the region.