Bolgatanga Regional Hospital NOT Mahama’s initiative. Here are the facts

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Thursday, August 15, 2024, commissioned phase three of the renovation and expansion of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital otherwise known as the Upper East Regional Hospital.

The event widely published has revived the conversation around which government should be credited for the facility’s redevelopment. (Here, here, here and here).

For the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the redevelopment is the sole initiative of former president John Dramani Mahama and his government. (Here and here).

The party and its members have always listed the renovation and expansion of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital as an achievement of the erstwhile Mahama government.

At the NDC campaign launch held July 27, 2024, in Tamale, Member of Parliament for Bawku Mahama Ayariga, while addressing a charged crowd of party supporters, stated, “The renovation, expansion, the redevelopment of the Upper East Regional Hospital was done by who? John Dramani Mahama!”

 In a June 17 2024 post on social media, Beatrice Annan, Deputy Spokesperson for the NDC Flagbearer’s Campaign mentioned the facelift of the referral facility among Mr. Mahama’s legacy.

The NDC parliamentary candidate for Ayawaso West Wuogon also, in a February 17 2022 post, claimed the facility as one built by the John Mahama government.

But what are the facts regarding the redevelopment of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital?

In this report, Fact-check Ghana presents the facts on which government initiated the redevelopment and the various stages of the facelift.

The move by the Rawlings government

 The Bolgatanga Regional Hospital was built in 1949 to cater for the expatriate community in the area and was later taken over and expanded in 1952 as the country prepared for independence.

Since then, it had not seen any major facelift except some modest rehabilitation works in 1995 though it had already assumed the role of a regional hospital following the creation of the Upper Region. In 1999, the Rawlings government took a decision to rehabilitate the facility.

The government fell on a US$4.1 million loan extended to it by the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) for the execution of the project. The loan agreement with BADEA was approved by Parliament on June 3, 1999. An additional US$1.2 million was granted in 2003 to address funding shortfalls of the project.

Construction, according to media reports, started in 2004 and completed by 2008, marking the completion of phase one of the rehabilitation.

The Kufour government quickly followed up with another loan agreement to finance phase two of the hospital construction. The agreement, entered with the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), was approved by Parliament on October 31, 2008, and the project was scheduled to be completed in 2012. (See here and here). It, however, did not take off as expected after the change in government.

It was only in 2012 when the country was preparing for another election that billboards of the architectural designs of the project surfaced along major streets of the region, sparking mixed reactions, with some describing them as baits for votes.

Although the government had claimed in the 2014 Budget Statement read in November 2013 that, “the Ministry continued the rehabilitation and upgrading of Bolgatanga Regional Hospital”, it was in June 2014 that Sherry Ayittey, the then Minister of Health, cut sod for the commencement of the second phase construction.

According to a Graphic Online report, this phase of the redevelopment was to be constructed in two phases with the first phase expected to be completed within 18 months.

Sherry Ayittey was reported to have said that the Ministry of Health under the Atta-Mills administration had signed a contract with Messrs Saudi Consulting Services, a civil engineering firm, on November 4, 2009, to carry out preparatory works for the take-off of the second phase. The report, however, did not establish how long the preparatory works lasted and whether that accounted for the delay in commencing the second phase.

But it was not until December 9, 2013, that a contract for construction of the project was awarded to Messrs Berock Ventures Limited and work started on January 20, 2014, although the sod was cut months later, according to the media report.

During an inspection of the project on November 21, 2016, Mr Mahama was told by engineers that the first phase was about 95 percent complete.

The Akufo-Addo government, which succeeded the Mahama administration, also secured another credit facility amounting to US$20 million in 2019 for the continuation of the redevelopment.

Approved by Cabinet on March 8, 2018, and signed by both parties – Ghana Government and Saudi Fund for Development – on September 4, 2019, the credit facility was to help finance the construction of additional facilities, supply and installation of medical equipment to an adjunct clinical block that had been completed.

These works have since been completed, culminating in the ceremony, which was graced by the President Akufo-Addo and the Health Minister as well as the Saudi Ambassador to Ghana and a representative of the SFD.

From the facts adduced, it is evident that the rehabilitation and expansion were initiated by the Rawlings administration, Kufuor government started and completed phase one and went ahead to secure funding for phase two.

It was continued by succeeding governments, with the current administration completing the second phase and furnishing the additional facilities constructed for operationalization.

Therefore, the rehabilitation of the facility is not John Mahama and his government’s initiative and though the project was continued under the erstwhile administration, his government cannot be solely credited for the facelift.