Ato Forson, Former Deputy Finance Minister
Claims by the National Democratic Congress' (NDC) Hon.Ato Forson that government is going to purchase drones which should ordinarily cost about 100,000 dollars for 1 million dollars have turned out to be palpable lies and a figment of his own imagination.
On Monday, 3rd December,2018, Ato Forson made a spurious allegation accusing government and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of fraudulently and criminally inflating the deal that will allow for the use of drones in the distribution of blood and other medicinal products.
However, Chairman of the Health Committee of Parliament, Dr. Kwabena Twum-Nuamah on PM Express show of Joy News with Ato Forson on Tuesday 4th December, 2018, emphatically stated that this drone delivery service will come at Zero cost to the government of Ghana budget, stressing that as per the current arrangements the cost will be borne by the corporate sector through their corporate social responsibility obligations.
He further dispelled rumours that the project is expensive and would cripple government’s budget. Rather, he said the project cost per service delivery of $17 is lower than what is currently being charged in Rwanda at $22.7 per delivery, and most importantly, would go a long way to save precious lives.
Dr. Kwabena Twum-Nuamah questioned Ato Forson’s credibility and understanding of the service agreement, wondering why he would not let his colleagues on the Health Committee of parliament who have better grasp of the subject to debate it but him (Ato Forson).
It must be noted that Ato Forson is noted for having gained notoriety for rushing to discredit any good policy by government for which his claims eventually prove to be falsehood. Classical example of such rushed falsehoods by Ato Forson is his projection of mobile money tax and other tax increases in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 budgets which all proved to be hoax.
Also, He was exposed by the International Monetary Fund's clarification of $2billion Sinohydro barter deal.
In his confusion, Ato Forson tried severally to refer to pages of the service agreement but the host of PM Express on Joy News TV, Evans Mensah would even struggle to comprehend what he (Ato Forson) meant.
Ghana’s emergency medical drone delivery service will save tens of millions of Cedis by eliminating the need for expensive emergency trips to pick up health care products and by avoiding wasteful overstocking of products at health facilities and will operate 24 hrs a day from 4 distribution centers across the country. The distribution centers will stock 184 lifesaving and essential medical supplies.
