Shut up! - Oppong Nkrumah tackles Mahama over ambulances

Former President, John Dramani Mahama has incurred the wrath of Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah after he [JM] passed a 'negative' comment about the newly distributed 307 ambulances.

Mr Mahama in a media interaction described the procurement and distribution of the 307 new ambulances as a “misplaced priority”.

The Former President pointed out that government should prioritize building hospitals so that when an accident happens, patients will have good facilities to be treated and not to distribute ambulances.

However, the Information Minister at a news briefing in Accra on Friday said Mr. Mahama’s comments were unfortunate and a deliberate attempt to “score political points”.

“Any investment in healthcare infrastructure or in pre-hospital emergency care is good news for Ghanaians and nobody should be deliberately ‘criticizing’ it,” he said.

He went on to emphasize that the former president should be more concerned about contributing to the conversation of how to maintain these ambulances, how people are going to pay for the services of the ambulances and how to make sure prank calls are reduced”.

Mr. Nkrumah said the former President is being hypocritical especially when he equally commissioned projects such as acquisition of drillers and distribution of head pans to head porters during his administration.

Health care delivery has been an issue of huge concern in the country recently.

The Mahama-led NDC government procured about 600 ambulances with only 30 arriving in the country.

Subsequent assessment on the 30 ambulances revealed that they were not “fit for purpose”.

In addition to the 307 ambulances, 300 Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) drivers and support staff along with 30 dispatchers were also deployed.