Former Assin Central MP Kennedy Ohene Agyapong has criticised the prolonged delay in bringing the Afari Military Hospital in the Ashanti Region into full operation, describing the situation as a setback to efforts to improve healthcare access in the country.

Speaking to journalists after donating a pickup vehicle and 15 motorbikes to the Ghana Police Service at the Accra Regional Police Headquarters on Tuesday, June 16, the former New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential aspirant expressed frustration over the project's slow progress.

Mr. Agyapong argued that considering the level of investment made in the facility, the hospital should have been completed and serving both military personnel and civilians several years ago.

Reflecting on the project's history, he noted that the initiative was conceived during the administration of former President John Agyekum Kufuor, while major construction works were undertaken under a subsequent National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.

He acknowledged that the NPP inherited the project after assuming office but admitted that the administration failed to ensure its completion despite spending eight years in government.

The former legislator, who previously chaired Parliament's Defence and Interior Committee, said attempts by the committee to inspect the facility during the NPP administration were unsuccessful.

According to him, successive governments must accept responsibility for the delays rather than shift blame over the stalled operationalisation of the hospital.

Mr. Agyapong maintained that the focus should now be on ensuring the facility becomes fully functional so that it can deliver the healthcare services for which it was originally established.

His remarks come amid renewed public debate over the status of the Afari Military Hospital project, with political actors offering differing accounts of the factors responsible for delays in its completion and operation.

The hospital, envisioned as a major referral facility, is expected to enhance healthcare delivery in the Ashanti Region and support medical services for both security personnel and the general public once fully operational.