Chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee on Health, Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, says delays in the completion of the Afari Military Hospital and Sewua Hospital are due to financial constraints linked to what he describes as the “ICU state” of the economy inherited by the current National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration from the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
His comments follow an inspection tour of the two facilities by the Minority Caucus, which found both hospitals still uncompleted and not yet operational despite years of construction. The Minority visited the Afari Military Hospital and Sewua Hospital to highlight concerns over delays in their completion, arguing that the facilities are critical to easing pressure on major health institutions such as the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
Reacting to the visit in an interview on the Channel One Newsroom, Dr Nawaane accused the Minority of politicising the issue, while also blaming the previous administration for failing to complete the projects within its eight years in office.
According to him, the current fiscal challenges facing government stem from economic conditions inherited at the start of the administration, which have limited fiscal space for capital expenditure within its first year and a half in office.
“When we came to power one and a half years ago, the economy was in shambles. The economy was in intensive care unit,” he said.
He explained that government has since prioritised economic stabilisation measures, including efforts to reduce inflation and manage public debt, before fully committing resources to stalled infrastructure projects.
Dr Nawaane said this recovery process has slowed progress on key facilities, including the Afari and Sewua hospitals, despite ongoing efforts to ensure their completion.
He maintained that government continues to support the health sector within constrained borrowing space and reduced donor funding, while working to progressively prioritise and complete stalled projects.
Dr Nawaane added that efforts are underway to accelerate completion of priority health facilities as economic conditions improve, stressing that the delays reflect broader recovery challenges rather than neglect of the projects.