The Government, through Akrot Consults, a private estate development company, has cut the sod to commence the construction of accommodation facilities for doctors and nurses at the Agenda 111 site at Sang in the Mion District of the Northern Region.
The project is initiated by Akrot Consults, a subsidiary of Akrot Group, in collaboration with the Ministry of Works and Housing, Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service, under a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) model.
It is to build 40 one-bedroom, 48 two-bedroom and 52 three-bedroom apartments totaling 140 units at each of the Agenda 111 sites across the country.
It would involve commercial facilities, with spaces for shopping, an eatery, entertainment and education, such a creche and nursery for the children of the medical staff.
Mr Augustus Akrofi, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Akrot Consult, at the sod cutting ceremony, said funding for the project had already been secured by his company which was the sole financier together with its partners at a cost of $865 million for a total of 14,420 housing units in all the Agenda 111 hospitals across the country.
He explained that the main idea was to support the government to provide decent accommodation for doctors, nurses and other health workers, who would be posted to the Agenda 111 hospitals to stay at post.
He said, “Doctors are trained in big towns and cities, and so if you want to post them to the Agenda 111 hospitals, some of the facilities are a bit remote, so you need to give them a facility that will let them stay.”
Mr Isaac Akrofi, the Project Director, urged the contractor to consider the people of the area first when hiring workers for the job, before any other person.
He said “We are here to build up the local economy. When we say medical village, people are not restricted to coming to shop and more importantly, we told the contractor to employ those who have the skills in this community as much as possible”.
Alhaji Inusah Alhassan, the Contractor on the project, said per the contract, he was supposed to use 18 months to execute the project, but he would complete the project before the given deadline if funds were released on time.
He said, “I am promising Akrot and Chief that this project will finish in less than 18 months that I have been given, and I am also assuring the community members that skilled personnel in the community will be employed and even the materials that are here will be purchased”.
Alhaji Musah Abdul-Aziz Ayaba, Member of Parliament for Mion and Deputy Minister for Fisheries, applauded government for initiating the Agenda 111 hospital in the area, and said it was about 80 per cent complete, adding that government seeing need to attach befitting accommodation facility for the health workers who would be posted to the hospital was exceptionally thoughtful.
He said, “As MP from here, I will do my best to make follow ups so that the contractor will meet the timeline and also to ensure that funds are released to him on time.”
Naa Mahama Yakubu (II), the Chief of Sang commended the government and Akrot Group for initiating the project and also thanked the Project Director and the Contractor for promising to prioritise the community members for employment.
He said, the project would go a long way to engage the youth and increase productivity at Sang and its surrounding communities besides the health.
Source: GNA
