End Of Medical Tourism In Sight Under President Mahama

Finally relief has come to Ghana’s health sector as the new state of the art equipment and massive infrastructure development take off for the country to end medical tourism estimated at over millions of dollars.

Currently there are a lot of senior medical professionals who have geared towards staying in Ghana and assist on new technology and trends in the field of medicine to enable local professionals treat patients in the country, rather than refer them other parts of the world. A  Situation where politicians are treated outside Ghana.

To Augment quality health care delivery in the country .President Mahama yesterday raised the bar, in the area of quality health care delivery for Ghanaians- walking the talk .My  understanding is that the days of medical tourism in outside Ghana is virtually over .

The days of medical tourism should stop. Yes, some few years ago he had good hospitals but it needed to be upgraded and also put up new ones to offload Korle Bu and others. Today Ghana can boast of  state of the art hospitals coming on-board whilst some are completed under President Mahama’s administration.

 With what the President Mahama has started doing  would virtually help the unnecessarily gallivanting of Ghanaians abroad for medical checkups which makes mockery of our status.

This is not to say specialized operations or severe medical conditions should not be sent outside, those are different ball game entirely. But now if you live in Ghana, eat our local foods, breath our air and cannot trust any of the A-list hospitals with ordinary medical checkups then you have over stayed your welcome, please relocate.

Highlighting the 2016 manifesto of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) Any president who would rule after the exit of president Mahama  in 2020 or in the future has some catching up to do, before he or her  can talk about going further than Mahama.

 President Mahama has showed that he has accomplished many laudable and exemplary projects that are bound to propel Ghana to the modern era in the area of quality health care delivery on the continent.

 Initially lot of Ghanaians operated on hearsay, without facts, but when he presented with the facts yesterday with pictorial evidence some had the opportunity to change their views.  I would only describe President Mahama as a bridge between the old and upcoming generation of Ghanaians.

President Mahama noted that in Ghana’s health sector his government has invested massively in infrastructure. He disclosed that government is transforming the Ridge hospital to become the Greater Accra Regional hospital. He also pointed out that the Legon hospital expansion will ensure that the University of Ghana medical school moves from its current location, Korle Teaching Hospital to the new expanded Legon hospital when completed.

He said “Tamale hospital expanded four hundred beds; University of Ghana Teaching Hospital, 617 beds under construction; refurbishment of intensive care unit, completion of new eye care centre at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, refurbishment of the operative theatres at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

He said, “If you look at the indices, we are making progress, maternal mortality rates are on a downward trend, infant mortality is down, child mortality is down, under-five mortality is down. It means that in all these major indices, we are reducing maternal mortality and all the other mortalities.”

He added that, “We established the national ambulance service; we increased the number of licensed midwives, between 2009 and 2015 from 500 to 2000, within this period.”

We have almost completed the second military hospital, the first military hospital is 37 Accra, the second military hospital is almost completed and will be completed by first-quarter of next year.” President John Dramani Mahama has said that his government in the next four years will ensure that the National Health Insurance Scheme gets additional sources of income. According to him, this is aimed at reworking the sustainability of the scheme.

“In the next four years, a percentage of annual funding amounts that come from petroleum revenues should be assigned to the NHIS,” he said. Two more Psychiatric Hospitals will be added to the existing ones in Ghana should I win the December 7 polls, President John Mahama has said.

According to him, the new hospitals will be built in the Ashanti and Northern regions in his second term of office. Mr Mahama said his government will develop the Pantang Mental Hospital to a first class mental health facility while plans are advanced to relocate that of Accra. He said the NHIS to be 'reworked' with additional funding – Mahama .He said in his next term, he will build 20 polyclinics in Ashanti, Western, Eastern and Upper East regions.

He believed the move will “increase supply and fair distribution of health personnel across the country.”

On ways to reduce maternal and infant mortality, the president said he has “increased the number of midwives from 500 to 2000.”

He said the “the Police Hospital is being expanded and the Maritime Hospital will be expanded by the end of this year.”

He also touched on the increase the number of trained midwives at the current, accelerated, rate. 24.  Establish a maritime tertiary hospital facility.  Complete the Wa teaching hospital in 2017. Upgrade the Takoradi hospital. Establish new hospitals in several district capitals, including Salaga and Konongo-Odumase. Establish both a hospital and polyclinic in Adenta.

Nearly 100 more polyclinics in several towns (at least 5 per region), including one in Bamboi. Tie NHIS funding to petroleum receipts, which in a volatile oil market would almost certainly require a subsidy from the consolidated fund to smooth variable inflows.. Complete the upgrade all the regional hospitals, including Tema. 33. 120-bed Bekwai hospital. 34. New, national mosquito control, spraying, program.

 Additional laboratories for traditional medicines research then the Relocation of Accra Psychiatry Hospital to Pantang and conversion into a world-class mental health facility. He also touched on the strict implementation of the Mental Health Act 2012, with its resourcing implications.

President John Dramani  Mahama made this known during his presentation of to a cross-section of Ghanaians, the highlights of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Manifesto for 2016.The event comes ahead of the main launch of the Manifesto on Saturday September 17, in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region. This is the Type of country that we as citizens want to live in especially having the state of the art Health care facility.