The founding President of IMANI Africa, Mr Franklin Cudjoe, has said while Ghanaians praise President Nana Akufo-Addo for his fight against COVID-19, it must not be lost on them that the health infrastructure investments made by Mr John Mahama’s administration, have helped that fight, for which, in his opinion, the former President deserves some acknowledgement.
“While we praise Nana for the interventions to fight COVID-19, we must acknowledge the continuous strategic investments in health infrastructure JM made which is coming in handy now”, Mr Cudjoe tweeted, adding: “JM was visionary, too”.Just recently, Mr Mahama said the health facilities and infrastructure he built during his time in office, have become indispensable to Ghana’s fight against COVID-19.
Days earlier, the Minister of Health, Mr Kweku Agyeman-Manu, announced at one of the press briefings of the government regarding the COVID-19 situation that the University of Ghana Medical Centre and the Bank of Ghana Hospital are ready to be used to manage critical cases and VIP cases, respectively. The Bank of Ghana later issued a statement to clarify that its facility was available to every citizen and not just VIPs. Also, the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, also known as Ridge Hospital, is one of the main facilities being used to fight the virus.
Speaking at a brief ceremony at his office in Accra on Saturday, at which he presented some PPE worth GHS300,000 to the National Democratic Congress’ COVID-19 Response Team for onward distribution to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and Tamale Teaching Hospital with a promise to procure a further GHS90,000 worth of PPE for other health posts, Mr Mahama said: “It is with great humility that I note that the massive investments we made in health facilities during my tenure as President, have become the mainstay of the response to the novel virus”. “This marks progress and demonstrates what vision and foresight can do in nation-building”, he added.
“That notwithstanding”, the flag bearer of the biggest opposition party said: “It has become clear, in an era of pandemics and infectious diseases, that a reactionary approach does not offer a sustainable path to protecting our people and economy from the harmful effects of such outbreaks”.
Mr Mahama said a “more proactive” state of readiness must be put be in place going forward. “No longer must it be the case that dangerous diseases like Ebola, SARS, MERS or COVID-19 get to our shores before we scramble around to arrest their impact”.
These diseases, he said, have “unfortunately become serious threats to our survival and go beyond just the health of our people”, adding: “They have adverse implications for our economy and our very way of life”. “In that regard, I wish to table the following proposals, which I believe will leave us better prepared and ready to take on any future eventuality especially pandemics like the COVID-19 case.
“These proposals are a part of our manifesto, which we intend to launch later in the year, when we have collectively defeated this pandemic. It has become necessary now to make them public because of the current climate and in the hope that to the extent possible, they may be factored into ongoing efforts to combat COVID-19.
“If there is any lesson to be drawn from the COVID -19 episode, it is the fact that we are not immune from pandemics that hitherto were deemed to be far removed from us. While we may have been spared outbreaks like Ebola, SARS, MERS and the like, we have been very much affected by COVID-19, which has proven extremely disruptive to our lives and holds the potential of having dire consequences for our economy.
“The relative fragility of our health and social welfare systems makes us even more vulnerable to its fallouts. Our people stand to suffer tremendously if such diseases are allowed to take us by surprise. Even as we count the cost, it is imperative that we learn the lessons of today and act now to ensure that we are much better prepared, when, not if, the next pandemic rears its head”, he warned.
Source: classfmonline.com
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Is there a competition in praise-singing taking place as we battle COVID-19?
Please, please, please, Ghanaians stop playing politics with everything. There is no Mahama hospital, Nana Addo hospital, Rawlings hospital,Kuffour hospital or Kwame Nkrumah hospital for that matter because none of them used their own personal money to build any infrastructure in the country. It is the tax payer's money that were used for these projects therefore it is the tax payers who should be congratulated and not political parties. The costings for these projects are always inflated and some faceless individuals benefit out of it through kick backs. I have never ever heard the UK Labour Party and the Conservative Party bickering over who was responsible for any national infrastructural development let alone at a time like this. The togetherness between the political parties in UK at this testing time, to help their country through the challenges, is a beauty to behold. Yet here is a poor country like Ghana where those who are supposed to know better and should be in the forefront of educating the public rather choose to score cheap unproductive political points. VERY VERY SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS!!
the truth must be told. i don't why in the regime. we hate to hear the truth. This man is simply speaking the hard truth which should not attract insult or negative comment. from people like Kofi, Kafui and the likes. Nana Addo, our president is doing well in this fight, the main opposition party is also doing their part in this fact. they all deserve to be praised. the strategic investment made by JDM has been so helpful in this fight.
Look Mr Cudjoe, don't worry your head saying these things la. NPP doesn't listen to advise. They HAVE THE MEN. They hate criticism and see anybody who has another opinion as not their equal. They are better humans than all of us. We citizens know what John Mahama has built in this country. Everyone knows.
Almost 4 years Nana Addo in power. No Hospital built, No School built. No roads built. Only One Factory in Ekumfi. Even the Dams he bulit are drying up. Free SHS is basaaaa, nyamaaa, tsakaaa. Election is just around the corner. When you throw a ball to a wall............
This man kudjoe what exactly is he known for ? that is the mistakes of many Ghanaians who would have otherwise be great, they think gretness is getting your name in the newspapers all the time irresepctive of what it is. i thought he started as a think tank suppose to come with extra odinary ideas to resolve problems. can anyone say what problem he has assisted to resolve. he might have said or done something to gain attention but have consistently blew it and fallen to grass. no respect as he has become just like any political boot licker,
i never knew he was that stuopied . have you ever wondered how much mahama might have given him in cash ? billions of state funds for this stuoped stouoge to be at his call. is this the time to talk about mahama. masa you have lost focus and its best to go underground
like he wont be doing politics with this pandemic. hungry for power and visionless beside lacking common sense.
***barred word***,For the 8 years when they were enjoying the oil money did you remind them to give praise to Kuffour for his efforts in discovering the oil which they touted in parliament as palm kennel oil? Massa allow us to think