Ghana leader announces plans to build more than 80 new hospitals

The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, stated that 88 new hospitals would be built in the coastal, central and northern regions of the country, including six regional hospitals and three infectious centres. This is reported by the Air Force Africa with reference to the President's television address. Akufo-Addo stressed that hospitals would be built to strengthen Ghana's health system after the coronavirus outbreak. The president said the pandemic exposed the weakness of Ghana's health care system despite several years of active investment in the sector. Most health facilities in the country are poorly resourced, and many parts of Ghana do not have hospitals at all. According to the World Health Organization, there are currently about 9 hospital beds for every 10,000 Ghanaians. However, critics wonder what means the Government will implement the project. Some Ghanaians also criticize the government for abandoning hospital construction projects started under the previous president. The Minister of Information of Ghana, Kojo Nkrumah, had previously stated that the Government would submit a proposal for a hospital project to Parliament in July.