'Set up ministry of common sense' - Solomon Mensah

Broadcast journalist with Media General and author of the column 'TALKING DRUM' on 3news Solomon Mensah, has suggested a Ministry of "Common Sense" be set up by government.

Speaking on The Stance show on TV3, he said that he sees no proper justification for government parking some 96 ambulances at the forecourt of the State House in Accra.

Minister for Special Development Initiative, Mavis Hawa Koomson and other government officials had previously said the ambulances would not be distributed until some others being imported are received.

At a media encounter last Friday, President Akufo Addo responding to a question on these ambulances indicated that he ordered Madam Koomson not to distribute the vehicles. That, he would not want to be tagged as favouring some constituencies over others knowing that not all of them would receive the vehicles.

This, however, Mr. Mensah believes affirms the sad reality that the country has never been serious with its citizens’ healthcare.

“Are you aware after renewing your health insurance membership you are told to wait for one full month before being able to take it to hospital for healthcare? When you renew your driving license, are you told to drive after one month?” he asked.

He said, if President Akufo Addo wants to be liked by everybody then he should go to Parliament and get the parliamentarians - who represent the 275 constituencies - to ballot on who gets the ambulance or not.

“Let them pick a piece of paper each from a box which contains either a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ inscription. If you pick no, you are out. Yes, you are in,” he said adding that, “I think that we need to set up a Ministry of Common Sense [to deal with these basic issues].”

As it stands, Ghanaians wait until January 2020 when government will distribute the ambulances after receiving the others.