General News of 2012-10-10

Akufo-Addo Will Prudently Manage Ghana’s Resources - Bawumia

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, running mate to Nana Akufo-Addo, has assured the people of the Bongo constituency that that when elected, the Nana Akufo-Addo administration will be fully committed to tackling the problems of the people of Ghana and meeting the needs of the ordinary Ghanaian.

According to Dr Bawumia, an Akufo-Addo administration will focus the country’s resources in the areas of education, healthcare and infrastructural development, a clear departure from the current situation where all means are found to divert resources wrongfully into the pockets of politicians and their associates.

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia was speaking on Tuesday in the Bongo Constituency on the second day of his Upper East Regional tour during a visit to the Bongo District Hospital to interact with the staff and patients.

At the Bongo District Hospital, Dr. Bawumia saw at firsthand the very inadequate facilities at the hospital. The lack of facilities has resulted in the situation where female patients had to share the same ward with children admitted at the hospital. About four children, on the average, share one bed.

The Administrator of the Hospital who led Dr. Bawumia through the tour of the hospital also mentioned the unavailability of an ambulance as one serious challenges facing health care delivery in the district.

Reacting to the challenges, Dr. Bawumia said “looking at the problems it is very clear that they are serious. If you have women and children sharing the same ward, it is clear that infections would be very difficult to control. People with all sorts of ailments are at the same ward and this is serious when it involves babies and children.

We are committed to healthcare delivery and that is why for example we introduced the NHIS and I know that Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP would have the fullest commitment to ensure that the people have proper health care facilities and that such problems are dealt with” Dr. Bawumia noted that many of the problems facing the people of Ghana could be solved if the resources of the nation are managed competently and honestly.

“I would just like to say that a small fraction out of the over GH¢800 million that went to Woyome and other questionable “judgement debts” could have solved many of these problems. So if we manage our economy well and prevent stealing of our money, we can provide these essential services in places like Bongo. It therefore takes good management of our economy, guarding of our public purse to ensure that the people are not shortchanged in the provision of these services and under a Nana Akufo-Addo government we would do exactly this. We would pay attention to what the people need and not what the politician needs and that would be a key difference between us and the NDC”, he stated.

Dr. Bawumia took the opportunity to thank the staff of Bongo District hospital for their hard work under such very difficult circumstances and urged them to continue with the good work they are doing despite the few facilities available for the sake of the thousands who depend on them in the Bongo district.