Ms. Barbara Fynn-Williams, leading member of the NDC, former member of the NDC National Executive Committee, Chairperson of the NDC Election Committee at all of the Party's Congresses since 1992, and a leading member of the 31 st December Women's Movement, died at Tema last Friday morning. She was 60.
Diagnosed with cancer in 1999, Ms. Fynn-Williams, who lost her husband about twelve years ago, was one of several Ghanaians whose medical treatment abroad on humanitarian grounds at the expense of the NDC Government was heavily criticized by the then NPP Minority in Parliament.
At a Press Conference addressed by the then NPP Parliamentary Minority in October 2000, they stated as follows:
"These days, if you are a good NDC man or woman and you have even a headache, you will be sent abroad for treatment.
You don't have to be President to be treated abroad ? all you need is an NDC card".
The group then went on to list Kofi Ashiboe-Mensah, Ferdinand Asante Adjei, Sarah Kuntu-Atta and Barbara Fynn-Williams, as four of such persons on whom money was unjustifiably spent for medical treatment abroad, presumably to cure their headaches because they were "good NDC men and women".
So concerned was the NPP about the medical treatment of Ghanaians abroad that the Party put it in its Manifesto for the 2000 elections that it would abolish the practice of overseas medical treatment should it win political power.
Sarah Kuntu-Atta, a District Secretary and DCE in the P/NDC Governments for over 18 years died on Tuesday, July 22 , 2002. She was 45 years old and was survived by four children.
Barbara Fynn-Williams also died just last Friday, February 6, 2004. She was 60 years old and was survived by a 12-year old daughter.
With their deaths, the two women on the NPP's list of 'headache suffering Ghanaians" who were sent for medical treatment abroad by the insensitive NDC Government have both departed this world. The NPP must really be feeling good. The "headaches" from which the two fine ladies were suffering must have been serious indeed.
Burial arrangements for the late Ms. Barbara Fynn-Williams will be announced later.
