Kweku Baako “Strips” Mahama Naked Over Hospital Claims

The Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kwaku Baako Jnr has exposed the barefaced lies being peddled about the provision of medical infrastructure by the NDC, led by former President John Mahama.

Mr. Baako, who made the exposure on the Kokrookoo Morning Show of Peace FM, quoted copiously from official documents to rubbish medical infrastructure claims by the NDC and stripped former President Mahama naked on his much-touted but empty slogan of infrastructure king.

Mr. Baako Jnr., reading from official sources including cabinet memos signed by NDC Ministers and letters from the Ministry of Health, insisted that the NDC and former President Mahama cannot take credit for projects he never started and did not complete before leaving office. He disputed, with evidence, claims that John Mahama’s administration built hospitals across the country.

Citing the Ho Teaching Hospital, formerly Volta Regional hospital which started under Gen. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong and commissioned under the current Akufo-Addo government, Mr. Baako indicated that it would be wrong for one administration to take sole credit for such projects.

Zeroing in on the Bank of Ghana and International Maritime hospitals, Mr. Baako insisted it would be wrong to list them as achievements of the Mahama administration since both are independent bodies and funded the construction of their hospitals with no support from central government or former President Mahama.

Mr. Baako Jnr. also deplored several attempts by the NDC, including pictures in the infamous Green Book, to claim credit for the construction of 9 hospital projects under the Euroget Projects. Describing these attempts as "shocking", Mr. Baako explained that the entire Eurojet project received cabinet and parliamentary approval in 2008 under Kuffour’s administration, and had still not been completed when President Akufo-Addo assumed office on January 7, 2017.

Reading a cabinet memo dated July 2012 and signed by Hon. Alban Bagbin, then Minister of Health, Gen Henry Smith, Minister of Defence and Dr. Kwabena Duffour, Minister of Finance, Mr. Baako challenged anyone to prove that the "Eurojet Hospital Project” agreement was not signed and the loan facility agreed in 2008.

The Kufuor government signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Euroget S. A. for the construction of the hospitals in April 2008, gave Cabinet approval for the commencement of the project on October 29, 2008, with parliamentary approval received on November 12, 2008.

The Upper West Regional Hospital was the first to commence construction in August 2010 and the other projects such as the Afari Military Hospital, Tepa Municipal Hospital, Twifo Praso Municipal Hospital, Adenta-Madina Hospital at Kwabenya, Salaga Hospital among others are all under construction but are being claimed by the NDC as former President John Mahama’s legacies and have been captured in the party’s Green Book ahead of the 2016 elections.

According to the contractors, the Madina Hospital at Kwabenya would be completed by December, while Tepa Hospital would be completed and handed over in April 2020, with Nsawkaw Hospital to be ready by June 2020.

The contractors claim the Konongo and Kumasi Sewua hospitals will be completed by November 2020, with the Salaga and Twifo Praso also targeting 2020.

Mr. Baako Jnr. also disputed claims made by the Ranking Member of the Health Committee in Parliament and MP for Juaboso Constituency, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh that Ghana was unprepared for the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Baako Jnr. said the claims by Akandoh are false. WHO rated Ghana 56% in overall preparedness to fight COVID-19. “This is beyond average,” he told host Kwame Sefa Kayi.

The Central Regional Minister, Kwamina Duncan was the NPP representative on the show.