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A former Deputy of Health Minister, Rojo Mettle Nunoo, has disclosed that all was set for the UG Medical Centre to be operational before the NDC left office.

According to him, the previous government had an adequate plan in place on the way forward for the Centre.

“Government will pay salaries, so we got the Public Service Commission to agree to the establishment of the hospital and 28,000 people applied to be staff of the hospital. We did interviews and the first round of over 1,400 or so people were identified, and appointment letters were going to be given. The Fair Wages Commission had also agreed with the salary structure of the hospital and given approval.”

Speaking on an Accra based radio station Citi FM, Mr. Nunoo said about 1,400 personnel had already been shortlisted and ready to be recruited as staff of the University of Ghana Medical Centre before the John Mahama administration was kicked out of office.

He said a total of 28,000 applied to work for the Centre, out of which 1,400 were selected.

“The Ministry of Finance approved and gave authorization for the university to go ahead and issue appointment letters to the 1,400 or so people who were supposed to be engaged at the level of consultants, specialists, nurses, biomedical engineers, laboratory technicians, sanitary people, I mean everything had been put in place,” he noted.

Mr Nunoo added that, what was required was for government to guarantee that while “we are going through all these processes, our water, electricity and utilities will be underwritten against a payment plan for us to service any facility that government gives us. What was left was for the Ministry of Health was to acquire a loan facility to enable them “complete some empty shell spaces, fully equip the hospital, buy essential drugs and consumables to run the hospital, and also to do further training of staff required to run the hospital.”

He said the plan was that after such processes were completed; they will begin treating few patients and continue expanding until the Medical Centre run at 100 percent capacity.