Former President John Dramani Mahama, Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), says his next government will bridge the gap in Ghana’s health care delivery system.
He said, “we emphasize this explicitly by committing in our 2024 manifesto to bring quality, primary and specialized health services closer to our people.”
Mr Mahama made the promise during the closing ceremony of the Annual National Muslims Conference of Ghana (NMCG), on the theme: “Breaking the gap in national health delivery in Ghana, the role of the National Muslim Conference.”
He said the next NDC administration would improve quality and access to comprehensive health care and implement a free primary health care programme.
He said the programme would cover from the CHIPS compound to district hospitals, saying “Ghanaians will need a health insurance card or make no form of payment if they attend any of these health facilities, from CHIPS compounds to district hospitals.”
“I assure my Muslim brothers and sisters that the NMCG’s effort to bridge the present health care delivery challenges in Ghana, while greatly appreciated, will be complementary in the leadership my government will exercise in undertaking disease prevention, health promotion and expanding access to comprehensive health care.”
The Former President said they would establish the Ghana Medical Care Trust to support the cost of health care for persons with chronic diseases such as kidney failure, cancers, sickle cell diseases, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
“We will follow our promise in 2020 to establish specialized places for the handling of bodies of Muslims who pass away in order that they are handled according to Islamic rights and equip health facilities in Muslim communities with relevant health infrastructure.”
He said they would partner with the private sector to build new abattoirs in communities such as Tulaku and rehabilitate existing abattoirs to conform with World Health Organization standards and introduce halal standards in terms of handling of meat and meat products.
Mr Mahama said to enhance Islamic educational infrastructure and shore up support for the Islamic education units in Ghana they would initiate an educational infrastructure programme to expand educational infrastructure in all Zongo communities.
He said they shall enhance and resource the Islamic education units under the Ghana Education Service to enable effective monitoring and recruitment of more Arabic teachers.
“We will continue the project we started and continue all the infrastructure upgrades that we began in the Al-Farooq College of Education and facilitate accreditation of Islamic schools to support the training of more Arabic teachers.
He said his next government would provide scholarships to Muslim students as they did in the past particularly in the fields of law, medicine, engineering and ICT, and facilitate partnerships to establish more Islamic tertiary institutions.
He said to enhance economic empowerment and support for Muslim communities, they had decided that in partnership with the NMCG and other groups they would establish the ‘Soyeya’ fund to provide working capital for small and medium enterprises in Zongo communities.
“The setup of the National Women’s Development Bank will target Muslim women and other vulnerable groups in deprived areas of our country, while the LEAP would be extended to support to poor aged widows and orphans in deprived Muslim communities.”
Mr Inusah Mohammed Baba, General Secretary, NMCG, said the Conference was established under a deed signed by the national leaders of the five major Muslim groups in Ghana to serve as a mouth piece and platform for Ghanaian Muslims to deliberate on matters affecting all Muslims on education, health, economic empowerment, financial inclusion and legal issues.
He said as a community they came to the realization that the absence of a body such as the NMCG has led to the voice of the Muslim community not being heard and many government policies affecting spiritual and material well-being had all been dealt with without their involvement.
He said this year’s conference had come up with the Ghana Muslim Health Strategy since the time had come for them to change their attitude towards government and for that matter policies that were being developed and legislation being passed in Parliament.
“Our ultimate aim this time is to have the Ghana Muslim Health Service so that Muslims will be able to access services in accordance with our values that others for so many years have been infringing upon.”
“We are awake and want to be involved in policy decisions. We now want our numbers to reflect in government appointments, from regional to religious balance.”
He said the Ghanaian Muslim was now a different Muslim and would hold the Former president accountable for all the promises made to the Muslim community in his manifesto, if he becomes president of the republic.
“We don’t want to give anything to Allah anymore. Because Allah has told us in the Quran that He will not change our condition until we change our attitude. So, our attitude has now changed. All the things you promised us, we will want you to do with us, not for us.”
GNA
