Bawumia’s medical leave in UK exposes poor investment in health sector - GMA

Vice President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), has urged Ghanaian politicians to patronise healthcare service within the country instead of having to fly outside for medical care.

According to Dr. Frank Serebour, Ghana boasts of some of the finest medical practitioners to provide excellent medical attention to its citizenry.

Dr. Serebour also says the country has some of the modern health facilities to meet a lot of health challenges of its people.

The G.M.A vice president’s comments come in the wake of news that Ghana’s Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has flown to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.

The decision to fly the Vice President to the UK for medical attention has attracted sharply divided opinion from the citizenry and governance watchers.

Some have even suggested the government does not confidence in the country’s medical facilities and the doctors trained locally.

But speaking to Kwame Adinkrah on Abusua Nkommo, Dr. Frank Serebour said government’s decision to send Dr. Bawumia abroad for treatment is an indictment on Ghana’s healthcare system.

He said, “Kwame I am worried because it has become the practice that anytime a politician is sick, he or she is easily flown outside the country for medical treatment and a critical example is that of our late finance minister, Kwadwo Baah Wiredu who was taken to South Africa.”

“But I can tell you that, the procedure our late finance minister undertook in South Africa is done more than twenty times a day at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi here and no single death has been recorded recorded”, he revealed.

Dr. Serebour adds, “so with this, what it means is that our politicians do not have confidence in the healthcare system they created for our people and it’s a cause for worry.”

“Over the years, politicians have failed to do the right investment in our health sector so they have the notion that we don’t have the needed facilities and machines to treat them.”

“Sometimes people die because of Oxygen so you ask yourself what if I go to such hospitals and there are no Oxygens, how d we survive since the government han’t provided enough to cater for its growing health needs.”

Dr. Bawumia left Ghana to the United Kingdom (UK) Friday January 19 for advanced medical attention after reporting of ill health.