New Policy Think Tank launched in Kumasi; reveals NDC, NPP performances in healthcare delivery

Liberal Institute for Policy Studies (LIPS), a new policy think tank has been launched in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital.

The new think tank, according to the executive members, is to use research and data to assess the performances of the two bigger political parties, NPP and NDC.

"The performance assessment, which starts from the Ashanti region, will subsequently spread out to the other regions in Ghana", the group has said.

Addressing a press conference at its maiden encounter with the media, Dr Keskine Owusu Poku the Executive Director, said his outfit aims to use intellectual research backed by facts, evidence and figures to shape the development and politics of the country.

"Our preoccupation is to use research and data to evaluate the performances of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) particularly in the Ashanti Region and subsequently, the other regions in Ghana,’’ the Executive Director said.

He continued that, the effective ways of conducting their research and presenting facts will be touched on the grounds of healthcare, education, roads, industry, and commerce among others.

"We are doing it one at a time. For instance, the current record we have here is on the grounds of healthcare," he noted.

Detailing their current research findings in the area of healthcare initiatives and hospital infrastructure in the region, the Executive Director said, the grounds for their research was based on three main key points.

According to him, they were based on projects inherited, projects initiated and projects commissioned within the respective terms of the two parties.

"When you take the NDC, we assessed their tenure from 2009 -2016, and that of the NPP was from 2017 -2024," he said.

Inherited Projects
Touching on the inherited projects, the group noted that the NDC which inherited six (6) from the previous government, did not complete any one of them, within its eight-year period.

The NDC's inherited projects, according to the Executive Director, included an 800-bed capacity hospital project at the KNUST from the Kufour's regime, the Bekwai hospital from the Acheampong regime and the four (4) Eurojet projects at Konongo, Tepa, Sewua and Afari, all from the Kufour regime.

In sharp contrast, the NPP, according to the group, sought additional funding in 2019 to complete the age-long Bekwai hospital and commissioned the same for use in 2021.

Out of the four (4) Eurojet projects, the Executive Director noted that three have been completed with two, thus the Konongo and Tepa district hospitals in use.

Initiated Hospital Projects
According to the group, the NDC initiated two hospital projects which were the Fomena and Kumawu District Hospitals under the NMS projects in 2014 but none was completed nor commissioned for use in the Ashanti region, from 2009 to 2016.

On the other hand, Dr Owusu Poku said the NPP in eight years has initiated 24 new hospital projects with 19 under the Agenda 111 and five under the VAMED project.

According to him, while the five (5) projects under the VAMED which are at the Sabronum, Manso-Nkwanta, Suame- Anomangye, Drobonso and Twedie are completed and handed over to the government, most of the Agenda 111 projects are at various stages of completion.

"We can therefore say that in the context of health infrastructure for the Ashanti Region, the NPP stands unparalleled in the same,” Dr Owusu Poku predicted.

Presenting facts with video and picture evidence of their findings, Mr. Jimmy Boachie-Ansah who is the Director of Policy Tracking and Evaluation, said, the exercise which began many months ago, compelled them to travel to the various places, as indicated on their research data.

He however showed videos and pictures revealing the various stages of projects in the various areas within the Ashanti region, under the aforementioned parties.

Meanwhile, the LIPS Think Tank, as revealed by the group, is made up of the President who is Professor Dr. Dr Otchere Addai-Mensah, the Executive Director Dr Keskine Owusu Poku, Executive Director.

Others are the Director of Finance and Administration who is Michael Essel -Mills, Director of Research and Policy Analysis is Victor Osei Poku, and Director of Policy Tracking and Evaluation which is Jimmy Boachie-Ansah. Dr Anthony Nsiah- Asare who is the Presidential Advisor on Health Services serving as Special Consultant to the LIPS.