Ambulance distribution: Mahama trying to score political points with criticism – Gov’t
Tricia
The government has hit back at the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama after he criticised the distribution of ambulances in the country.Addressing a press conference on Friday, the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, questioned Mr. Mahama’s motives and accused him of only seeking political points.
President Nana Akufo-Addo inaugurated 307 ambulances for distribution nationwide on national TV this past Tuesday.During an interaction with selected media personnel on Thursday, Mr. Mahama chided the Akufo-Addo government for distributing ambulances without resourcing health facilities in the country.
He felt the ambulances may not be able to serve their purpose because most of the country’s hospitals and clinics are not capable of handling emergency cases.
But the Minister recounted that when Mr. Mahama was President, he oversaw the procurement of ambulances at a time when “not all hospital projects across the country had been completed.”
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah also noted that members of the NDC were also pushing for the early distribution of the ambulances at the time they were parked at the State House.
“Is the former President suggesting that when his party was demanding that the ambulances be distributed now, they had no faint idea of where they would take people to when they are distributed? So it was just [an empty] demand that distributed the ambulances now? It was just an attempt to create some disaffection and embarrassment?”
“To begin to change even your own position, from, bringing about 600 ambulances out of which just about 130 came… is actually even laughable,” the Minister added.He reiterated the benefits of this endeavor and urged Mr. Mahama to instead offer constructive remarks on the matter.
“How do we ensure that they are maintained, how do we ensure that they are paid for, how do we ensure that prank calls are reduced, how do we ensure that emergency healthcare is improved, not try to score cheap political points with it,” Mr. Oppong Nkrumah said.
