NDC sustained National Health Insurance – Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama on Monday said but for the timely intervention of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government the National Health Insurance Scheme would have collapsed.
He said the initial structures put in place by the scheme, initiated by the Kufuor Administration, would have been sustained only up till 2010, a situation that would have made mockery of the entire intervention.
President Mahama, who was addressing a rally at Salaga as part of his four-day campaign tour of the Northern Region, said since the NDC took over the administration of the country, the scheme had rather expanded.
The President earlier paid a courtesy call on the newly enskinned Kpembiwura, Banbanga Haruna, and inspected construction works on the Midwifery School project and the new Salaga District Hospital.
President Mahama explained that while National Health Insurance patients’ visitation in 2008 was only nine million, the figure increased to 29 million by the close of 2015.
He said while expenditure for the payment to health facilities was only GH¢183 million in 2008, payment as at the end of 2015 was over GH¢1 billion.
“How can they say we have come to collapse the National Health Insurance Scheme when we have rather made such gains in the scheme?’’ President Mahama asked.
He called on his political opponents to offer constructive criticisms that would accelerate the development of the country rather than mere empty criticisms that had characterised their 2016 political campaign.
On the development of Salaga, President Mahama said it occupied an important area in the political history of Ghana and government would do everything under its purview for them to recapture their past glories.
The President said apart from priding herself as the first biggest commercial centre with Europeans and other traders from North and West Africa, Salaga also, regrettably, was renowned as the biggest slave market in the country.
He said in helping them to recapture their past glories, government would construct all the town roads of Salaga apart from ensuring the completion of the on-going Tamale-Salaga-Makango road.
He said efforts would be made to begin and complete the Salaga-Kpandai road that was crucial for the internal commercial activities of the people.
On the 2016 General election, President Mahama said government had over the years initiated policies that had favoured the activities of Muslims in the country and called on them to support the NDC.
He said apart from instituting national holidays for Muslims by the Rawlings Government, the NDC, under his (President Mahama’s) administration, had also expanded the Tamale Airport to international standards thereby airlifting the first batch of Muslim pilgrims to Mecca this year.
President Mahama said the Government would continue to extend electricity to communities despite the current challenges to ensure that the whole of Ghana was covered by 2021.
Earlier, the Kpembiwura gave the assurance that the people of Salaga South would support President Mahama to win the 2016 polls.
He said: “We will support you today, we will support you tomorrow …so you should not entertain any fears as the whole of this area will give you our mighty support.”
President Mahama took the opportunity to introduce Alhaji Ibrahim Dey Abubakar, the NDC Parliamentary candidate for Salaga South, to the people.
The President was accompanied by Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, the Minister of Roads and Highways, and Dr Edward Omane Boamah, the Minister of Communication.
Source: GNA