Government asked to get closer to people to deepen governance

The Bureau of Internal Affairs (BIA) at the weekend called on the government to put in place mechanism to get first hand information from the public about negative acts that tend to undermine good governance.

A statement issued Mr. Heward O. Mills, Coordinating Director of the Bureau in Accra said, lack of proper checks and balances of people in authority who act contrary to their administrative responsibilities affect the economy and the quality of life of the people.

BIA is a centre for information gathering on public concerns with the aim of bridging the communication gap between the public and the authorities on issues negatively affecting the citizens.

Mr Mills said information reaching the Bureau, revealed that some medical facilities are refusing to attend to patients wielding the National Health Insurance Card meant to reverse the Cash and Carry system in order to make health care accessible to everyone.

He said such arbitrary decisions by people at the helm of affairs such as school heads who collect illegal fees in blatant disregard of specific instructions by the Ministry of Education are being used as a political tool to discredit the government.

Mr Mills said the BIA intends to team up with the public to support the government to fight against acts that undermine the social and economic lifestyles of the people.

“I am therefore calling on members of the public to report irregularities that are likely to affect the national interest to the bureau,” he said.