|
I will build healthy and prosperous nation -
Akufo-Addo
Accra July 1, Ghanadot/GNA - The flagbearer of the New
Patriotic Party, (NPP), Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, has
stated that Ghana's democracy was gradually being
consolidated as a result of good governance and the rule of
law upheld by the current administration.
He, therefore, urged Ghanaians to return the NPP to power
during the December 7 general elections to enable it to
continue building a healthy and prosperous nation.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said this when he paid a working
visit to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and Abbosey Okai
area on Monday as part of his campaign tour.
He said the NPP government has laid the foundation to propel
the nation into a middle-income status and hoped that
members of the party confederacy would continue to work hard
and support the government to retain power.
The visit afforded the NPP Presidential candidate the
opportunity to know the problems confronting the health
sector at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and progress made
with the implementation of the National Health Insurance
Scheme (NHIS).
He said health plays a key role in the development of a
nation, hence the government policy to replace the cash and
carry system with the NHIS.
According to Nana Akufo-Addo, everyone who wanted to lead
the country must have a fair idea of how every sector
operate and added that one of his priorities when voted into
power would be to create the enabling environment for health
personnel.
Mr Chris Nartey, Acting Deputy Chief Executive of the Korle-Bu
Teaching Hospital who conducted the NPP Candidate and his
entourage around, said lack of personnel, acute budgetary
allocation, logistics and congestion were some of the
challenges facing the hospital.
He said about 64 percent of patients who came to the
hospital had not registered with the NHIS.
“It becomes difficult for them to pay for the treatment and
this has contributed to the congestion in the hospital," he
said.
Mr Nartey said currently the NHIS owed the hospital about 14
million GH cedis as arrears incurred from June 2007 to June
2008.
He said to curb the congestion problem there was the need to
have separate hospital outside Korle-Bu for female and
children.
Areas of the hospital visited include the Department of
Child Health Block, Cardiothoracic Center, Maternity Block
where Nana Akufo-Addo interacted with the patients and
donated boxes of fruit drinks, chocolate and biscuits to the
children.
At Abbosey Okai, the flagbearer and his entourage were met
with cheers by the traders.
Nana Akufo-Addo assured the traders that he would continue
to make the private sector an engine of growth for the
economy saying: "I will continue to peruse that cause to
help traders of Abbosey Okai, since it is the bedrock of
industrialization in Ghana".
He said it was the responsibility of every Ghanaian to
ensure that the December general elections were organized in
a peaceful and credible manner.
GNA
|
