The Omanhen of the Essikado traditional area, Nana Kobina Nketsia V has called for public office holders, especially politicians to be compelled not to seek medical treatment outside the country.
Delivering a keynote address at the 65th Annual Conference of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) in Takoradi Friday, November 10, 2023, he bemoaned the current situation where infrastructure is left to rot to the detriment of the welfare of taxpayers.
The Annual General Conference of the Ghana Medical Association is their biggest event of the year where all doctors across the country congregate at one centre to take stock and deliberate on their welfare among other pertinent issues in the health sector.
The Essikado Omanhen, Nana Kobina Nketsia V, who was the keynote speaker, called for public office holders, especially politicians to be made to sign an undertaking not to seek medical treatment outside the country.
“Anybody who picks up a public appointment must also sign that he or she is not going to be treated outside Ghana. If the Ghana Medical Service cannot treat you, fix it. What are you there for? So that is the challenge.
“People get sick and they have the luxury of being sent to the best wherever. But those in public services, (so I didn’t mention anybody o) most especially those who call themselves politicians with public appointments, they should sign an undertaking that anything to do with their health, they will stay in Ghana,” he stated.
President of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr. Frank Serebour in his speech raised concerns about the impact of galamsey on the health of the populace, and asked for an urgent intervention.
“Incidents of cancers, genetic malformations and I am sure those of you who work in these areas will attest that you are seeing children who suffer from these malformations that hitherto we were not seeing and other water-borne diseases are on the rise in Ghana especially in areas where galamsey is rife. And even for those of us who live far away from these areas, we buy the cassava, eat the fish, eat the farm produce from these areas and we are also taking in the chemicals, so we are not safe.
“It shall continue to rise if nothing is done about the matter of illegal mining,” he cautioned.
The GMA president also went ahead to express the need “to exercise some dichotomy of control over this matter of galamsey. It is true we cannot control where the gold is coming from but we can control how it is mined.”
Deputy Finance Minister Abena Osei-Asare who was the special guest of honour indicated that government intends re-engaging doctors towards the implementation of exemptions in the importation of vehicles for doctors.
“Admittedly, our pledge to offer exemptions for the importation of vehicles for doctors have delayed. This was slightly due to the efforts to comprehensively streamline our exemptions regime.
“Thankfully, Parliament passed the Exemptions Bill last year and we are now positioned to engage or in an engagement that will be able to manifest this important pledge to ease the transportation burden of our doctors,” she said.
The Conference was on the theme, Advancing Universal Health Coverage, Who Cares for the Health Worker.
By Ewurama Smith|ConnectFM|Onuaonline.com
