Former President John Mahama has assured that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will adopt a “bottom-up” manifesto for the electioneering campaign next year.
“We don’t think that it is good to make the manifesto top-to-bottom, it is bottom-up, we incorporate what the genuine opinions of who are working in particular sectors have to influence government policy, when we are implementing the policy, you don’t only own it but you know you have been part of drawing the policy,” he stressed.
Former President Mahama gave the assurance when he met leadership of Ghana Medical Association (GMA) as part of series of consultations to inform stakeholders’ ahead of the unveiling of the party’s manifesto in the quest to reclaim power and collate opinions in drafting manifesto for 2020.
His consultation tour has been held with the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
Former President Mahama noted that the NDC government would extend to conditions of service as well as continuous training for medical practitioners, propose new source of funding for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) since current capping and realignment law was not helping matters.
“The health insurance as it was designed was to cover a period of ten years, we have gone past number of years, subscriber base has increased phenomenally, funding sources have become insufficient to sustain health insurance and looking at new sources of funding for health insurance.
“There are several abandoned health projects across the country, I am determined, dedicated and committed to aggressively complete them when given nod again as president in order to ensure the citizenry have better access to health care by operationalising completed projects but idle.
“Distribution of medical personnel across the country is appalling as the doctor to patient ratio in some parts is ‘abysmal’, more people are deprived of access to quality health care, private participation in health sector to help in expanding medical care since the government alone cannot provide health care for all by 2030 as stated in Sustainable Development Goal 3,” former President Mahama bemoaned.
Dr Frank Ankobea, the President of GMA, said the meeting with the former president and the NDC team was “apolitical, fruitful and encouraging” consultation and called for more consultations to influence policy since it was centered on health of the citizenry. -3news.com
