Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has said the government’s Agenda 111 project, which aims to construct more than 100 district hospitals in addition to a few regional ones and psychiatric facilities across the country, is facing some challenges in the cities and districts.

According to him, land issues are bedevilling the project, thus, necessitating a modification of the architectural design of the projects in certain parts of the country.

While taking delivery of supplies from the Italian government in Accra, Mr Agyeman-Manu said: “We still have challenges, especially in the big cities”.

“We are changing the infrastructure designs”, he said, noting: “Even in the communities and the districts, there are litigations in some areas where the DCEs have donated lands and people are asking for compensation.”

“At the appropriate time, we will see how best we are moving along with this”, he added.

In his estimation, “it is too early to predict whether we will finish or not but optimistically, that is what we want to do and we will try to push ourselves”.

“We will be able to do a proper assessment by the end of the year.”

In March 2022, President Nana Akufo-Addo said he will complete all the 111 hospital projects before leaving office.

Addressing the 60th-anniversary of the University of Ghana Medical School (UGMS) on Friday, 25 March 2022, the President said: “A great deal of the preparatory work for the execution of this ambitious project has been completed and it is my determination that the entire project will be completed before I leave office on 6th January 2025”.

The $1.765-billion project, according to the president, will provide 101 standard 100-bed district hospitals with accommodation for nurses and doctors in the districts while six new regional hospitals will be put up for the new regions he created.

Additionally, the Effia Nkwanta Hospital in the Western Region will be rehabilitated while one new regional hospital in the Western Region and three psychiatric hospitals in each of the three zones in the country will be added.

When completed, the President said Ghana will become a “centre of medical excellence and a preferred destination for medical tourism in West Africa.”

The President noted that the “government is looking forward to also improving its accreditation seals for hospitals in the country and possibly acquire international accreditation seals such as Joint Commission International.”