Debates of 6 Feb 2007

MR. SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10:20 a.m.
CORRECTION OF VOTES 10:20 a.m.
AND PROCEEDINGS AND 10:20 a.m.
THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Order! Order! Correction of Votes and Proceedings, Friday, 2nd February, 2007. Hon. Members, we have the Official Report for Thursday, 7th December, 2006. [No correction was made to the “Votes and Proceedings” and the “Official Report”.]
Item 3 -- Questions.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 10:20 a.m.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Abraham Ossei Aidooh 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, may I ask your permission to allow the Deputy Minister to act for the Minister.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Deputy Minister for
Health. Question number 624, hon. John Gyetuah, Member of Parliament for Amenfi West?
Some hon. Members: He is absent.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Question number 625,
hon. Sampson Ahi, Member of Parliament for Juaboso?
Some hon. Members: He is absent.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Question number 626,
hon. Stephen K. Balado Manu, Member of Parliament for Ahafo-Ano South?
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:20 a.m.
Mr.
Speaker, the hon. Colleague has to follow up on some incident that has happened elsewhere with the Police and for which reason I seek your indulgence to ask the Question on his behalf.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Please, go ahead.
The Mankranso Hospital
Q. 626. Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
(on behalf of Mr. S. K. B. Manu) asked the Minister for Health what programme the Ministry had put in place to upgrade the Mankranso Hospital to the status of a befitting district hospital.
Deputy Minister for Health, Mr.
Samuel Owusu-Agyei (on behalf of the
Minister): Mr. Speaker, the Mankranso hospital is considered as a district hospital by the Ghana Health Service. The upgrading of the facility is being done in phases. In collaboration with the District Assembly, a new block with a theatre has been constructed to augment the existing structures. The rest of planned projects such as additional staff accommodation and a modern block for diagnostic services would be considered when the Ministry secures the needed funding.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:20 a.m.
Mr.
Speaker, may I ask the hon. Minister this follow-up question. The Minister in his Answer says the rest of the planned projects such as additional planned accommodation and a modern block for diagnostic services would be considered when the Ministry secures the needed funding. I want to enquire from the Minister whether the Ministry has
programmed this for a specific period, that is sourcing for funding for this programme for a specific period or is it just being left in abeyance.
Mr. Owusu-Agyei 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
I would like to explain that when we presented the budget for the Ministry of Health to Parliament, we did mention that the allocation made for capital investment was too low and that it was not even possible to fund the ongoing projects from the level of allocation made for the capital investment budget for this year and that there was going to be a difficulty for us.
What we have done is that we have re-prioritized the projects that we have. We even had to take a second look at all the projects that we have and see which of the prioritized ones should continue for the rest of the year.
You may even recall that when it came to the details of the budget during the debate on the Budget I did mention that equipment procurement would also suffer this year. I specifically mentioned ambulances. I do not know if you recall that. We planned to purchase additional ambulances for all the district hospitals and other facilities but the level of funding for the capital investment is so low that it will not be possible for us to achieve that objective.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:20 a.m.
Mr.
Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister has talked about re-prioritization of health facilities; on behalf of the questioner I want to know from the hon. Deputy Minister if the Mankranso Hospital is captured as part of the re-prioritized programme.
Mr. Owusu-Agyei 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my information from the investment unit of
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:20 a.m.
Mr.
Speaker, the answer given by the hon. Deputy Minister indicates succinctly that the upgrading of facilities into district hospitals is being done in phases. When is the cut-off period of the last phase?
Mr. Owusu-Agyei 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
normally they do not have adequate funds for a project, that is the reason why we normally have to undertake certain projects in phases. I will not be able specifically to tell my hon. Colleague here as to when the final phase would be completed. But what I want to assure the hon. Member is that the reason why we at times seek foreign funding for projects is that the fund will be there, so that you can start and complete a project within a certain timeframe.
That is the reason why at times when we procure foreign funding for projects, we give ourselves or the project implementation period, maybe only two years and work would be done because there is no limitation regarding the release of funds for work done. But when it comes to Ghana Government projects, as and when the revenue comes in -- revenue inflow.
We are all aware that even when the Budget has been prepared, the allocation made in the Budget -- the revenues may not be flowing in at the pace that we anticipated so that there may be a slow- down in the release of funds from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. So that is the reason why when a project is being undertaken by Ghana Government and we do not have the funding available immediately we do it in phases. So I will assure my hon.
Colleague that I will look for the status of implementation and then let him know when the final stage of this project will be completed.
Mr. Kwadwo Adjei-Darko 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in our rounds we are confronted with this question of upgrading of district hospitals. And in view of the National Health Insurance, I want to know from the hon. Minister whether the Ministry really takes the upgrading of district hospitals as a priority.
Mr. Owusu-Agyei 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to assure this House that the Government takes the upgrading of these hospitals as a priority. That has been on the programme of the Ministry since this Government came into office; that each district should have a district hospital. There are districts including the new ones -- some of the new ones do not have district hospitals.
So prioritization of district hospitals has been on the drawing board of the Ministry and it is being implemented. If you happen to visit some of the hospitals, you will see new district hospitals coming up. The existing ones which can just be upgraded are being done, but we have some of them in some districts which really need completely new hospitals.
So I want to assure my hon. Colleague
that upgrading of district hospitals and construction of new ones where we do not have some existing, particularly at the newly created districts, is the priority of this Government.
Nkawie-Toase Hospital (Upgrading)
Q. 766. Mr. Benito Owusu-Bio asked the Minister for Health when the Nkawie- Toase hospital would be upgraded to befit the status of a district hospital.
Mr. Owusu-Agyei 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Nkawie-Toase hospital is considered as a district hospital by the Ghana Health Service. The upgrading of the facility is being done in phases owing to lack of the needed funding. Currently a new theatre and wards are being constructed to assist in the management of the Buruli Ulcer cases in the catchment area. The rest of planned projects such as additional staff accommodation and a modern block for diagnostic services would be considered when the Ministry secures the needed funding.
Mr. Benito-Bio 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the hon. Minister's Answers to previous questions, I heard him say that his Ministry had prioritized certain district hospitals. I want to know if the Nkawie-Toase hospital is one of the prioritized hospitals.
Mr. Owusu-Agyei 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to assure my hon. Colleague that, that particular facility has been prioritized for consideration. As a matter of fact, there have been investors there. My hon. Colleague has visited our Ministry, some discussions have been held and I would like to assure him that this project is going to be considered as one of the topmost priority projects of our Ministry.
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Deputy Minister for
Health, thank you for appearing to answer these Questions. You are discharged.
Deputy Majority Leader (Mr. A. O.
Aidooh): Mr. Speaker, I propose that we adjourn proceedings at this stage. The Committee on Gender and Children will meet at 11.00 o'clock to consider amendments relating to the Domestic
Violence Bill. I so move.
Majority Chief Whip (Mr. Osei- Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu) 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT 10:30 a.m.