Avoid knee-jerk promises – Mahama jabs Akufo-Addo

Former President John Dramani Mahama has taken a swipe at his successor and current president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, over the latter’s recent announcement of building 94 new hospitals within one year.

During his 8th nationwide broadcast last Sunday to update Ghanaians on measures taken to stem the spread of coronavirus in the country, President Akufo-Addo said his government has resolved to invest heavily in the health sector.

He said 88 districts, hitherto without hospitals, will have a 100-bed facility each while the six new regions will also have an ultra-modern hospital each.

“We shall make these investments in our healthcare system not because it is going to be easy but because it is self-evidently necessary to serve the needs of 21st century Ghana,” the president added on Sunday, April 26.

But Mr Mahama says this is just “knee-jerk” and “reactive”.

“When even more investment is required to augment the existing health infrastructure, it is important that the plan to do so is credible and clearly thought-through,” he said in a Facebook Live interaction on Thursday, April 30.

“What we should avoid is knee-jerk promises that appear reactive rather than products of critical thinking and a well-coordinated response to an existing or emerging problem.”

The former president said it, therefore, came as little wonder when Ghanaians reacted the way they did after the announcement by the president.

He said everybody knows that President Akufo-Addo had a “tall list of unfulfilled or poorly implemented promises from yesteryears”.

Mr Mahama pledged his “unambiguous” commitment to completing all health facilities he started when elected on December 7, 2020.

He also promised to build modern health facilities in all districts in Ghana.

“We will [also] establish a regional hospital in each of the newly created regions.”