Former Assin Central Member of Parliament and New Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwart, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, has urged members of his party to exercise restraint in criticising the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government over the delayed completion and operationalisation of the Afari Military Hospital in the Ashanti Region.
According to him, it is unfair for the NPP to attack the current administration over a project that remained unfinished throughout the party’s eight years in government.
Speaking to journalists in Accra on Tuesday after donating a pickup vehicle and 15 motorcycles to the Ghana Police Service, Mr. Agyapong acknowledged that the NPP had failed to complete the project despite having ample time and opportunity to do so while in office.
The former Chairman of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee stressed that national development issues should be approached with honesty rather than partisan considerations.
“This hospital was started during President Kufuor’s administration. The NDC came in and continued the project, and when we took over, we did not complete it. I am NPP, but I have to tell the gospel truth—we didn’t do anything,” he stated.
His comments come in the wake of criticism from Minority members on Parliament’s Health Committee, who recently accused the Mahama administration of failing to operationalise the 500-bed military hospital despite assuming office more than a year ago.
However, Mr. Agyapong argued that such criticism lacks moral authority given the NPP’s own record on the project.
“We were in power for eight years and did not complete it. Somebody comes into office for just 15 months and suddenly we have a problem. Give me a break,” he remarked.
The outspoken politician further revealed that during his tenure as Chairman of the Defence and Interior Committee, efforts by the committee to inspect the facility did not materialise, adding to concerns about the pace of progress on the project.
While admitting the shortcomings of his own party, Mr. Agyapong also called on the current government to expedite efforts to complete and operationalise the facility, which is expected to ease pressure on the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and improve healthcare delivery in the Ashanti Region.
He maintained that both the NPP and NDC share responsibility for the prolonged delay and urged political leaders to place Ghana’s development above partisan interests.
“We should criticise both NPP and NDC when they fail. That is the only way we can move this country forward. We must stop playing politics with everything and focus on what is good for Ghana,” he said.
The Afari Military Hospital project, a major healthcare infrastructure initiative intended to serve both military personnel and civilians, has become a subject of renewed national debate amid concerns about the continued delay in bringing the facility into full operation.
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