A University of Ghana student has reportedly been arrested by Korle Bu police station for showing a placard with the inscription ‘Open UGMC NOW’ to the First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo.
The young man, Sekyi-Brown Reginald, in a viral video is seen walking from his seat towards the podium where the First Lady was delivering a speech during a ground breaking ceremony to for the construction of a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital on Wednesday.
There has been a public outcry as to why the multi-million dollar facility remains dormant, although the centre appears to be complete.
The first phase of the 597-bed capacity hospital, initiated in 2012, was inaugurated by former President John Dramani Mahama in 2016.
The super-tertiary or quarternary facility, which is an extension of tertiary care in reference to advanced levels of medicine, can rival any world-class hospital.
It has about eight huge blocks, which house an emergency centre, an outpatient and administration block, women and children’s centre, a medical training and simulation centre, among others.
Watch video.
About University of Ghana Medical Centre
Two years after the $217 million University of Ghana Medical Centre was commissioned by former President John Mahama, the facility remains shut.
A feud between the University of Ghana and current Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, over the management of the hospital has been the contentious reason the facility remains shut, according to persons close to the deal.
Former Deputy Health Minister, Rojo Mettle-Nunoo, says the Mr Agyemang-Manu is to blame for the state of the health facility.
“He is the incompetent reason why the facility is not working,” the former Deputy Health Minister said.
Kwaku Agyemang-Manu had explained that the facility has not begun operation because it is not ready.
According to the Minister of Health, although the centre looked complete from the outside, there was more work to be done to make it fully functional.
He said,”I am the minister and I want to tell Ghanaians that the facility is not complete. We operate it at our own disadvantage.”
However, Mr Mettle-Nunoo disagrees.
Parliament approved $50 million for the completion of the remaining works at the medical centre.
Addressing a news conference to commemorate this year’s World Health Day in Accra on Wednesday, the Health Minister cited the absence of a back-up generating set as a major obstacle to the opening of the facility.
He explained that the MRI and imaging equipment could not be operated on the national grid because of possible fluctuations.