Former Health Minister Dr Bernard Okoe Boye has claimed that he was the person who initiated the process that led to the reconstruction of the La General Hospital.
Okoe Boye, who served as the Member of Parliament for Ledzokuku, said he personally took steps to draw the government’s attention to the deteriorating condition of the hospital before the reconstruction project was launched.
He recalled taking government officials to the facility to witness its condition and said the hospital’s management had also appealed for urgent intervention.
“I am the originator, the brain behind La General reconstruction,” he said during an interview.
According to him, the initial plan was to execute the project through a loan arrangement involving a Chinese-led consortium. However, the financing institutions later withdrew their commitment after the COVID-19 pandemic affected their financial positions.
He said the government was subsequently forced to look for alternative funding, delaying the project beyond the original two-year completion target.
Okoe Boye explained that the matter was eventually taken to Cabinet, where a decision was made for the government of Ghana to finance the reconstruction rather than wait for the loan arrangement to materialise.
“When the heat was up, some of us even made presentations to our government. Cabinet decided, and account should confirm this. The project was changed from a loan to now government itself. GOG will pay,” he said.
He further disclosed that the first two payment certificates for the project were paid by the government of Ghana.
Okoe Boye said the reconstruction had already progressed beyond the foundation stage by the time the Akufo-Addo administration left office, insisting that claims suggesting the government demolished the hospital without making progress were inaccurate.
He maintained that the decision to use government funds reflected the importance attached to replacing the unsafe facility.
