Works on the Ghana Healthcare Project have progressed well across 2022, with two of the three facilities nearing completion and due to be handed over early in 2023.
The advanced payment was received in January 2022, following which a kick-off meeting with Ministry of Health representatives on the project execution plan was conducted. Pre-construction works began in February with the clearance of vegetation, fumigation, and the deep cleaning of buildings.
In March, NMSI site teams fully deployed to Fomena, Kumawu and Takoradi with construction works ramping up in earnest. Welfare facilities and temporary offices were established to enable respective construction teams to work efficiently and comfortably. In parallel, the Purchasing & Logistics team revalidated supply lines, as well as testing equipment that had been stored in-country and replaced all consumables which had expired.
Prior to relaunch, NMSI’s Environmental Team visited all three sites to assess any changes to the surrounding conditions, producing a Gap Analysis report to the ESIAs for the District Hospitals and staff accommodation as agreed between NMSI and UKEF; with renewed environmental permits issued by the Environmental Protection Agency for Fomena and Kumawu in January and for Takoradi in March. Since, the environmental team have been conducting fortnightly checks across all sites for air and noise pollution, fuel, waste and traffic management as well as the protection of vegetation. The results of these were submitted via the bi-annual monitoring report on environmental and social compliance to UKEF which was subsequently accepted.
The recruitment of logistics and Installation, Commissioning, Maintenance & Training (ICMT) teams for the project was completed in May, before the first containers containing IT, medical and non-medical equipment were shipped in July. The ICMT team over the past six months have been focused on writing standard operating procedures, training notes, as well as performance verification and acceptance testing protocols all in time for the equipment to be installed at Fomena.
Site inspections were carried out on all three sites by the Infrastructure Directorate in June and October, with the Minister of Health and other representatives visiting in August, who were pleased to report good progress on the project.
As the year draws to a close, Fomena and Takoradi enter the final stages of completion, with snagging and equipment installation taking place over December and January. To ensure the timely completion of Kumawu and offer further job opportunities, a number of labourers who haveworked at Fomena and Takoradi will move to Kumawu in the new year to support construction efforts with targeted completion in March 2023.
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