Veep?s Wife Bill Is ?282 Million

The Kufuor Administration, prior to the settlement of the foreign medical bills on the cost of treatment of Hajia Ramatu Mahama, wife of the Vice President, had paid ?90,401,000 to the Cardiothoracic Centre at the Korle-Bu Hospital in Accra, of which ?59,920,000 was used in settling the bill for her local treatment.

The remaining ?30,481,000 was the cost of treatment of the former Chief Justice, Mr. Justice E.K. Wiredu. So far, the total amount paid (in foreign exchange) on the treatment of the Second Lady, overseas, remains undiscovered, since the ?223,000,000, paid at one stage was described as an outstanding bill.

The letters authorizing for the payment of the bills were all signed by Mr Yaw Osafo-Marfo, Minister of Finance. In the case of the cost of the local treatment, the amount was charged to an account on ?The Service Expenses, Foreign Travel Cost, Office of the President.

Meanwhile, the discovery of the huge amount paid for the treatment of the Second Lady has left many mouths wide open, as they run contrary to the policy promised by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on overseas medical treatment. Apart from the promise to abolish the priviledge, contained in the party?s manifesto of 2000, platform speeches during the electioneering campaign were emphatic on that position. In the case of the treatment of the Second Lady, the challenge to the Government to disclose the total amount spend overseas remain unanswered.