NPP PC faults NHIS operations
From Edmond Gyebi, Tamale
The parliamentary candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the Kumbungu Constituency of the Northern Region, Afa Mohammed Abdulai Saani, has expressed fears over “the extremely poor manner” in which the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government is managing the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the Free Maternal Healthcare policies initiated by the erstwhile Kufuor government.
According to him, the NHIS was gradually grinding to a halt, with beneficiaries, including pregnant women, continuously facing frustrations and rejection from service providers.
“NDC is bringing the cash and carry system back, but I think that is not what our people want, so we must vote them out,” he said.
Addressing a large crowd of NPP supporters at the launch of his 2012 campaign in Kumbungu, Mr. Abdulai Saani asserted that pregnant women at the various health centres were being treated as any ordinary beneficiary of the scheme, where they were forced to produce their NHIS ID cards before services were rendered.
He said that sometimes the women and other beneficiaries are denied some essential drugs by service providers, simply because the government delays the payment of their claims.
He, however, gave the assurance that an NPP government, led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, would revive the almost collapsed NHIS and free maternal healthcare policy, in order to restore the hopes of Ghanaians.
Mr. Abdulai Saani stressed that the NPP government would introduce more innovative strategies and components into the NHIS to make it more attractive, effective and beneficial to the people, and also put up more health facilities in the various communities.
The NPP candidate, on the other hand, attacked the ruling government for failing to honour its promise to the chiefs and people of the Kumbungu District to link the area with an asphalted road to the regional capital, Tamale.
He described it as a complete disgrace on the part of the Foreign Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, who is also the NDC parliamentary candidate of the area.
According to him, the absence of good roads was immensely negating the socio-economic development of the people, especially in transporting their farm produce to the market centres.
Mr. Mohammed Abdulai Saani, who promised to offer a selfless, visionary and all inclusive leadership when voted into power, called on the people to massively vote for him and Nana Akufo-Addo to bring comfort to their lives.
Before the campaign launch, the NPP parliamentary candidate held rallies at Dalun and Gumo, and also visited the NDC constituency office, where he interacted with some of the executives present.
At the NDC office, Mr. Abdulai Saani assured the people that his leadership would not discriminate against any person or group of persons, based on their political, tribal or religious inclinations.
He called on them to come together, unite and forge ahead for the development of the area.
The Member of Parliament for Kwadaso in the Ashanti Region, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, who represented the NPP flagbearer and the national executives, commended Mr. Mohammed Abdulai Saani for keeping touch with the chiefs and people of the Kumbungu District who were strongly rallying behind him.
He was confident that with the open show of support for the NPP candidate by the chiefs and the people, the voting pattern in the constituency, which had remained unchanged since 1992, would this time round favour the NPP.
Dr. Akoto Afriyie reminded the people of the litany of promises made them by the NDC, and questioned why they had not been fulfilled.
He indicated that the government of Nana Akufo-Addo would ensure free education for all Ghanaian children, and provide the necessary infrastructure and logistics that would ensure quality teaching and learning.
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