Dr Bawumia pledges govt support for Legacy of Hope Hospital project

The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has promised to court the support of the government to assist in the completion of a paediatric and childhood cancer hospital at Adjen Kotoku in the Ga West District in the Greater Accra Region.

He said the project needed the injection of a significant amount of funds to complete it.

Dr Bawumia said once the government was in the process of constructing the “Agenda 111” hospitals, the new paediatric and children’s hospital should be factored into the healthcare provision in the country.

He was speaking during a tour of the project site yesterday.

He also promised to contribute personally towards the completion of the project and stressed the need for more collaboration between the church and the government in the health and education sectors.

The Vice-President also asked to be put on the fundraising committee of the project to push others to get some money to finish the hospital.

Known as the Legacy of Hope Paediatric and Childhood Cancer Hospital, the project, which is the brainchild of the Catholic Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, will have an Outpatient Department (OPD), a theatre, a radiology unit, an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), a pharmacy, a medical block and a maternity and special accommodation unit.

The Legacy of Hope Paediatric and Childhood Cancer Hospital

The first phase comprised the building of a four-floor medical block, a place for children and maternity care, while the second phase was the cancer centre.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $2.7 million, and so far, the church has raised GH¢ 19.4 million.

The estimated cost for equipment is also $3.7 million, bringing the total cost to $6.4 million.

Dr Bawumia commended the Catholic Church for the strides it had made and continues to make in the lives of many Ghanaians through its focus and partnerships in the areas of health and education, saying such projects needed the strong support of people such as the Catholic Archbishop of Accra.

He said the health care and health needs of children were critical and the government was interested in supporting in that regard.

To that end, Dr Bawumia mentioned the one constituency, one ambulance; Agenda 111, and the extension of health insurance to cover childhood cancers, sickle cell and kidney dialysis, and said the vision of the Catholic Church was truly admirable and aligned with the focus of the government.

The Vice-President further cited an instance where a little girl named Priscilla at the Weija Leprosarium needed care and indicated that the paediatric health facilities in the country were not adequate to get her the treatment but had to be sent to Rome, where she is receiving treatment.

Requests

Responding to three major requests by Most Rev. Kwofie, Vice-President Bawumia gave the assurance that he would ensure the road leading to Adjen Kotoku to gets done not just for the hospital but for the people as well.

On tax waivers, he wholeheartedly supported the demand by the Archbishop, saying he (Dr Bawumia) had as part of his campaign message and policies designated the Church as a development partner.

He said as a matter of policy, the churches and faith-based institutions must be development partners to make them entitled to tax waivers when they imported any equipment or embark on materials to build schools, hospitals or any development projects.

That, he explained, should be granted automatically in their capacity as development partners.

Corporate entities

Most Rev. Kwofie said he would knock at the doors of corporate entities for support. He said the hospital would serve everyone since it went beyond religious and cultural divides.

Archbishop Kwofie also requested tax waivers from the government, saying such a project would depend a lot on medical equipment from overseas.