…Dangote builds 1,000-bed capacity hospital at $12m
…Ridge Hospital 420-bed expansion project costs $250m
The Ghanaian middle class has raised an eyebrow concerning the huge sums of monies that government spends on projects, which at the long run do not meet the expectations of many ordinary Ghanaian.
Notable example is the expansion works at the Ridge Hospital in Accra, which costs government $250 million to expand the hospital from a 200- to 420-bed capacity hospital. The $250-million project, funded the Exim Bank and HSBC Bank of the United States of America, is expected to make the hospital a 24-hour diagnostic and treatment facility.
Currently, Alinko Dangote, a Nigerian-based entrepreneur and the richest man in Africa, is set to construct a state-of-the-art 1,000-bed capacity hospital in Kano, a commercial hub in northern Nigeria for $12.38 million.
The hospital will come with a variety of features including 10 operating theatres, three intensive care units, patients’ wards and administrative/service rooms for doctors and nurses, an official statement sent to Business Day has stated.
“It is not just about building a best in class medical facility in Kano state; it is about fulfilling our commitment to sustainably improving the health and well-being of Nigerians,” the statement said.
When reached for comments, a Civil Engineer, Mustapha Seidu Tanko, said “If Dangote, were to use the same $250 million that was spent on Ridge Hospital, the expansion works could have built Ghana 20 more of 1,000 bed capacity hospitals.”
Recently, the 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, said the high costs of projects have provided fertile grounds for breeding corruption, citing the case of the Ridge Hospital rehabilitation which he said was highly inflated.
Kotoka International Airport is a disgrace to Ghana
Another sad example is the money the government spent on the expansion works at the Kotoka International Airport.
For example, King Shaka International Airport is the primary airport serving Durban, South Africa. Located in La Mercy, KwaZulu-Natal, approximately 35 kilometres north of the city centre of Durban, the entire airport project costs the South African Government $900 million.
Kotoka International Airport will not stand in comparison with Shaka Airport but the expansion works at the airport costs Ghana Government $405 million. Meanwhile, Shaka Airport is still several times bigger and better than KIA.
“We are probably more expensive because we borrowed money instead of using our own money to build. When you build a house yourself, it seems to cost less,” Jude Osei, a building contractor with 20 years’ experience in the real estate industry has explained.
He continued: “Let us reduce borrowing and build the economy. Ghanaians needs to have change of mind.”
By John Kelly
