Another CREATE, LOOT AND SHARE?…...Are we justifying Africa Watch magazine’s Republic of Corruption nametag? Perhaps Ghanaian taxpayers are very comfortable and can afford to throw money down the drain through such crass money siphoning deals. Unfortunately, it looks as though our Parliamentarians who are supposed to represent the interests of citizens have just become a bungling bunch of yes-men cocking up to rape the taxpayer left, right and center, and saddling future generations with onerous debts. Compare and contrast the below: •The new 850 Bed £429m ($700m) Royal Liverpool Hospital will be built to a luxurious standard offering all patients single rooms. Patients in the new hospital will all have en-suite facilities and a flat screen television in their room as standard. The build is costing £335m with the rest of the money going into demolition, landscaping, and other costs. (See: liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/health/new-429m-royal-liverpool-hospital-5391834 ) •Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s self-funded 1,000 bed capacity hospital in Kano, Nigeria to cost $12 million and includes 10 operating theatres, 3 intensive care units, patients’ wards and administrative/service rooms for doctors and nurses (See: ventures-africa/2013/10/dangote-build-12m-1000-bed-hospital-kano/ ) •Accra Ridge Hospital expansion with the addition of only 220 new beds to take it from a 200-bed to a 420-bed capacity hospital will cost over $300 million. Something aint right! Crown Agents Ltd, the UK international development company that partners with governments, aid organisations and companies in over 100 countries has revealed that the commercial agreement between the Government of Ghana and Messrs Bouygues Bartiment International for the design, construction, procurement and installation of equipment for the rehabilitation of the Ridge Hospital in Accra has been overpriced by a WHOPPING $142 million. The hospital is meant to come with accommodation for 42 staff members, school of anaesthesia, 100 body capacity mortuary, main road and a car park. Other components of the facility include an Imaging Department, Delivery Unit, Accident and Emergency Unit, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Emergency ICU as well as a Burns Unit. (See: ghana.gov.gh/index.php/2012-02-08-08-32-47/general-news/4886-parliament-approves-contract-for-ridge-hospital-rehabilitation-works) CROWN AGENTS states that “based on the assessment of an estimated Fair Market Price for the Ridge Hospital of US$3,000 per square metre, and further correlation with other recent VFM assessments of contracts for large hospital construction projects, the total Contract Price for Phases 1 and 2 is considered likely to expose the Ministry of Health (MOH) to an unacceptable level of risk…It is recommended that the total contract price for the Ridge Hospital should be reduced by US$142 million to a total contract price for the whole of the works of US$162 million” Havent we learned anything from the GYEEDA, SUBAH, RLG, WOYOME and AKONF3M fiascos? SMH!!!!
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 05:35:06 +0000
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