Former President, John Dramani Mahama says it is rather unfortunate that government has chosen to glory in the commissioning of ambulances when there are still hospitals that are not completed for sick patients to be treated.
President Akufo-Addo, Tuesday January 28 commissioned some 307 ambulances in fulfilment of his pledge to improve healthcare in the country.
Addressing Ghanaians on his social media pages Thursday however, Mr. Mahama described government’s move as misplaced.
According to him, more pertinent issues including the completion of some of the nation’s big hospitals that were started under his administration have been overlooked by government whilst focus is being placed solely on distribution of ambulances.
He quizzed where patients especially in emergency cases which need ambulance services will be sent after they are picked up by the vehicles if these facilities remain uncompleted.
“All the hospitals that were being built to improve access to healthcare, you have brought them to a standstill and instead you are glorifying in distributing ambulances? Where do ambulances take sick people? They take them to the hospitals and so your priority should be to complete the hospitals so that if an accident happens and you pick the patient, you’ll have a good facility to take them to?” He quizzed.
Adding; “and yet Fomena Hospital, Kumawu Hospital, Abetifi, Bekwai, Tepa, Upper West Regional Hospital in Wa, Bolgatanga hospitals, University of Ghana Health Center, Bank Hospital, International Maritime Hospital, all those hospitals we started have all come to a standstill. Yet you are distributing ambulances, and so you pick the person and send them where? And they say there is no bed, and then you get there, they’ll have to put a plastic chair in accident and emergency wards for the people to sit in? I mean there’s a complete loss of prioritization.”
The NDC Flag-bearer believes the ambulance distribution is no feat as is being portrayed especially because this isn’t the first time a thing of the sought is being done.
He maintained that several other similar initiatives had been instigated under his supervision and yet, his government did not make such a ‘fuss’ about them.
“It is not the first-time ambulances are being given. In 2012-2013, we bought about 161 ambulances, we didn’t make posters and say we are distributing ambulances and the rest.
Yes, you’ve brought ambulances, fine! We brought ambulances, we brought fire engines, didn’t make posters to announce, there are many other things that we did, I mean it's government’s obligation to do it.
We gave the police more than 1,000 vehicles, the highest number of vehicles the police have ever had in the history of Ghana, do you remember that I went and stood and touted it to the high heavens? These are things that government must do but we must get our priorities right.”
Former President John Mahama