Author: Akumaa GhanaMPs

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Mr Alban S.K. Bagbin, has said the frequent reshuffle of ministerial appointees is the bane of the country’s development.

He said if reshuffles were too frequent appointees did not get enough time to transform the sectors they were assigned to. Mr Bagbin was speaking with the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday when he made the assertion. Need for continuity “Sometimes, I don’t understand our Presidents. And I have spoken to all of them — Rawlings, Kufuor and Mahama.

Why do they think the good people of Ghana gave them four years to make a difference and they want their ministers to use one year in their sectors to make a difference?” he asked. He said the health sector where he had been a minister before, for instance, had 72 different professional groups, each one of which has an association.

“It takes more than a year for the minister to get to know them, and knowing them means getting to meet their leadership, listening to them, getting to know their problems, physically visiting them and inspecting things for yourself to give you a holistic picture in order to be a worthy representative, so that when you speak, you speak from facts,” he explained. “No wonder our health sector is like this; no wonder they do not have conditions of service,” he added.

Mr Bagbin said contrary to the perception that the health sector consisted of only doctors, nurses, pharmacists and laboratory technicians, it had many professional associations, each jostling for attention and looking for space to operate.

“You need somebody to be there for sometime to study them, familiarise himself or herself with the studies already conducted there to be able to follow through with implementation. You will never get this from any of our governments, ” he said.

“In 2009, Sipa Yankey was the Health Minister; in 2010, Kunbuor; 2011, Yieleh Chireh; 2012, Bagbin; 2013, Sherry Ayitey; 2014, Agyeman Mensah and 2015, Segbefia. What can they do?” he asked.
Constitutional Provisions

Article 78 of the 1992 Constitution empowers the President to appoint the number of ministers he deems necessary to assist him to run the affairs of state.

The article states: “The President shall appoint such number of Ministers of State as may be necessary for the efficient running of the state.”

Article 81 (a) states: “The office of a Minister of State or a Deputy Minister shall become vacant if his appointment is revoked by the President.”

There is no constitutional provision which states how long a minister should remain in office or whether or not the President could remove a minister from one ministerial position and appoint him to another.
Challenges

Mr Bagbin, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nadowli/Kaleo, said the Ghana Health Service, one of the agencies under the Ministry of Health (MoH), had 10 regional hospitals, about 60 polyclinics, 2,000 Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) compounds and a large number of clinics and health centres, each with its own area of jurisdiction and operation.

He added that a minister had to visit them and also “get the chain right”.

According to him, one needed to, after apprising himself or herself of the facts at the ministry, craft policies and programmes to address the challenges that existed.
Proposals not implemented

The MP said as Minister of Health, he crafted a proposal to create offices for doctors outside the hospitals.

He said the plan was to ensure that patients visited those offices to consult the doctors when they had health problems, instead of the hospitals.

“The plan was that if you have a problem, you do not go to hospital; you go to the doctor’s office and then he refers you to a laboratory and, after tests, he prescribes medicines for you, or if need be he refers you to a health institution. This was aimed at easing congestion at the hospitals,” he explained.

Unfortunately, he said, because he was no longer the minister, the programme had not been implemented.

Mr Bagbin said he also initiated moves to promote preventive health, “so that people will not get sick”.

“I started those adverts on television which educated the public on the eating of fruits, drinking of water, having enough sleep, among many other things. I brought in a public relations organisation called Oracle to develop the messages, ” he said.

He said it was because of the need for continuity that when Ms Ayitey was about to be removed, he kicked against her removal.

Source: Daily Graphic

A Deputy Minister of Education in-charge of tertiary, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has chastised the members and leadership of University Teachers Association (UTAG) for embarking on strike.

According to him the association embarrassed itself by taking the action.

The university teachers suspended their one week-long strike over the delay in the payment of books and research allowance by government on Thursday.

The group said it suspended the strike because government assured the leadership that the allowances will be paid soon.

The Education Ministry had argued that it had already initiated the process for the payments to be effected hence there was no need going on strike.

Okudzeto Ablakwa speaking on Eyewitness News said the Education Ministry had maintained constant and “good communication” with leadership of UTAG.

“…there were several meetings that took place, we brought everybody on board, we made them know that if it is the case that negotiations with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission on the takeoff of the National Research Fund does not happen by June, we will pay the book and research allowances. As early as 13th July, that letter had gone so I am really at a loss why that should have been done and it hurt me very much that the leadership of UTAG should subject themselves to this embarrassment they have subjected themselves to,” he said.

UTAG argued that they felt government could not be trusted.

But Ablakwa disgreed saying “If you are saying that the letter is not concrete, the letter that they have seen from the Minister of Finance is also a letter. Let us be fair to ourselves and the people of this country. There is a labour law in this country. Even when this strike was being declared, the employer was not notified. The labour law was flouted flagrantly.”

Meanwhile, president of UTAG, Dr. Samuel Bekoe also speaking on Eyewitness News insisted that their strike forced government to facilitate the process.

“Why did they have to wait till we went on strike before that happened? So they are rather trying to throw dust into the eyes of the public. it is when we acted before act either than that they will be sitting there doing nothing.”

Mr. Bekoe added that “the other point is that we have not called off the strike, we said we have suspended it because we gave them a mark, they have met the mark but because of their actions we don’t have trust in them so we have given them September 30 to show that they are going to pay. When the money hits our accounts then we will be satisfied that they have paid either than that we would have to revisit the matter all over again.

The crippling strike by doctors demanding better conditions of service can be resolved if Ghanaians are ready to pay more taxes, Chairman of the Finance Committee in Parliament James Avedzi has said.

Following a stalemate between government and doctors, James Avedzi says Ghanaians must brace themselves for more taxes if the demands of the doctors are to be met.

“Then the alternative is that we accept the position of the doctors and we give more money to the government to meet what the doctors are asking you, that is paying more taxes” he told Joy News’ Mamavi Owusu Aboagye.

He argues that the demands for better conditions of service should not be seen as one directed at government but rather on the taxpayer.

The strike by doctors with the Ghana Medical Association which began nearly a fortnight ago is entering its final phase on Friday.

The doctors will decide whether to activate a decision to resign en masse.

The Finance Committee Chair rehashed claims by some government communicators that the new conditions of service being by the GMA will cost the state 2 billion cedis annually.

“We are getting 32 billion cedis [in revenue] this year and 25.3 billion cedis is coming from taxes that are paid by you and I…if we don’t pay that tax, government has no money”, he said.

“Where will the president get the money from?” he wondered.

Under the current budget, James Avedzi explained that the demand will cripple government’s ability to build roads, keep the taps in homes running and build schools.

“Our development will stall”, he gave an implication.

Member of Parliament for Bantama, Henry Kwabena Kokofu has lambasted President John Mahama accusing him of making a prejudicial statement in his recent comment about striking public sector doctors.

He said, the President should have avoided such conclusive statement about the doctors strike since the issue is currently before the courts pending determination in soon.

An Accra Fast Track High Court is expected to hear a writ filed by General Secretary of the United Front Party, Listowell Kusi Poku praying the court to order the striking doctors to go back to work.

In the writ dated August 6, and filed at the Labour and Industrial Division of the Accra High Court, Kusi-Poku finds the conduct of the GMA as “quite disturbing in view of the crucial role medical doctors play in any nation’s life and wondered if a strike action should not be the last resort especially since it had not heard of any negotiations between the Government or its representatives which had broken down preceding the announcement that the defendant was embarking on a strike action.”

As the court prepares to hear the matter, President Mahama yesterday described the strike as illegal and beyond comprehension, and further urged them to go back to work as negotiations over their conditions of service continues.

However speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo show Thursday, Hon. Kwabena Kokofu who is a Lawyer sees such comments by the President as dangerous, adding that such prejudicial statement must not emanate from the leader of the country who should be seen to uphold the laws at all times.

“ The President should have known that once the matter is still before court pending determination, such discussions must cease. I’m just hoping that the trial judge will ignore the comments by the President as he rules on the matter”.

He further accused the President of undermining the authority of his Minister of Manpower, Employment and Labour Relations, Haruna Iddrisu when he decided to wade into the issue of the doctors strike with his comments.

Kwadwo Anim/GhanaMPsonline.com

Augustine Collins Ntim, Deputy Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, has blamed the Ghana Medical Association’s (GMA) strike on the display of mistrust by the government.

Speaking to Citi News he said, “right from the word go, the ground rules were leaked and doctors were being lambasted by government spokespersons.

Collins Ntim believes going forward, government must understand the medical officers and come out with the appropriate strategies to instill trust in the process.

“According to them [medical officers] government has betrayed them. Government needs to establish that confidence…, so the doctors can come back to the negotiation table to negotiate.”

The MP is of the view that the impact of the strike would have been reduced if the government had engaged with the doctors fairly.

“The doctors are Ghanaians and would have understood the constrain of the government,” he added.

The GMA laid down their tools to demand conditions service and insist they will not return to work until their issues are addressed.

Meanwhile, government has threatened to freeze the salaries of the striking doctors and other striking public sector workers.

Mr James Avedzi, Chairman, Parliamentary Select Committee on Finance, has called on mineral-rich African countries to create conducive environment for the engagement of Civil Society Organisations to ensure a judicious resource management.

“For the extractive resources to truly benefit the people of Africa, countries should seek to better manage the revenue in a transparent and inclusive manner,” he said.

Mr Avedzi said this on Monday during the opening of a 14-day summer school, organised by the Natural Resources Governance Institute for stakeholders in the oil, gas and mining sector, from 40 countries across Africa.

He said the sector provided huge opportunities for sustainable development and poverty reduction in the sub region.

Mr Avedzi said the sector, if properly managed, would trigger growth in other economic sectors, industries, as well as investments in jobs, infrastructure and basic social services.

He said 19 out of 46 countries in sub Saharan Africa had important reserves of hydrocarbons oils, gas and coal; whiles 13 countries were also in the process of exploring additional reserves.

“Experts predict that the region has the lowest discovery rate, which is an indication that, more natural resources are yet to be discovered”, he said.

He called on African countries with natural resources, especially those in the extractive sector to reverse the notion that Africa’s natural resources had become a curse by ensuring that the ordinary person benefited immensely from the proceeds of their resources.

He wondered why natural resource management in Africa was often shrouded in secrecy, subjected to corruption, nepotism, and cronyism.

Mr Avedzi said in Africa, about 23 countries, which had signed up to the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) had made a significant progress in the disclosure of extractive revenues received by their governments.

“However it is unclear whether the civil society, the media, and parliaments in these countries are sufficiently well informed to take full advantage of transparency for more effective oversight,” he said.

Mr Emmanuel Kuyole, Deputy Director, Africa, Natural Resource Governance Institute, the organisers of the programme, said the 14 day course was to help improve the capacities of civil society groups, the media, parliament and government agencies to ensure strong fiscal responsibility and macro-economic planning.

He said it was also to help maximize people’s participation, reduce inequalities and ensure that natural resources were used in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Nana Kobina Nketsia, Omanhene of Esikado, called on Africa leaders to make effective use of the natural resources by ensuring that the ordinary people benefited; and that, they should not focus too much on exporting it for financial gains.

He called on the participants to come out with practical solutions, which could be used to solve African challenges, instead of relying on solutions developed by western countries, which does not often function well in the African system.

The programme drew participants from Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique amongst others.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Akatsi North, Mr Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, has advised parents and guardians to create security and a better future for themselves and their families by investing in the education of their children and wards.

Quality education, he stressed, did not depend solely on the output of teachers, but also on the support parents would give to their children in terms of providing books, stationery and other materials needed to enhance teaching and learning.
Inauguration

Mr Nortsu-Kotoe gave the advice at the inauguration of a new three classroom block for the New Ave Dzadzepe Evangelical Primary school, which was built with financial support from the USAID.

The inauguration coincided with a ceremony to cut the sod for the construction of another three-classroom block with a store, office, ICT centre and toilet facilities for the school, estimated at GH¢246,000 and being funded by the Akatsi North District Assembly.

The Akatsi North District Chief Executive, Mr James Gunu, said the creation of the district had really benefitted the people as a number of development projects had sprung up in the area.
Ashiagbor

He cited the construction of new school blocks at Kpove, Have, Zenu and Ashiagbor as examples, as well as other projects at the Ave-Dakpa Senior High School.

Mr Gunu advised parents and teachers of the school to eschew lateness and absenteeism, stressing that they should ensure the pupils studied very hard.

The District Director of Education, Alhaji Ahmed Imoro, called on parents to take the education of their children serioiuly.

He appealed for more school infrastructure in the area to accommodate more students and pupils.

Richard Quarshigah, a former Propaganda Secretary for the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Member of Parliament for Keta has insisted that, to him, the current strikes in the labour front, are becoming “destructive.”

According to him, such actions put undue pressure on government and may force subsequent borrowing “which we all want to avoid as a country because it is not helping us.”

Doctors have laid down their tools to demand the provision of a document stating their conditions of service while the Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA) have also joined a similar cause over what they say are discrepancies on their placement on the Single Spine Salary Structure.

Speaking on Eyewitness News on Friday, the Keta MP, Richard Quarshigah said “If the doctors genuinely have a certain demand, we think we should meet those demands but again let’s ask ourselves the question; the kind of demands that are being made are they really very justifiable, looking at our economy? Looking at the revenue that we generate and looking at other salary structures in the country as compared to what doctors take.”

“Is it very rational to make such demands at this time? Is it intended to put undue pressure on government because if such demands are met, other groups will also come in making demands and it will continue to pressure government to look for money elsewhere and this obviously will translate into borrowing which we want to avoid as a country.”

“But again, this whole thing of strike business to me is becoming destructive,” he added.

The University Teachers are also on strike over the delay in the payment of their book and research allowances.

President Mahama has said he will not succumb to pressures from the labour front to pay wages or allowances that have not been captured in the budget.

Meanwhile the President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr Kwabena Adusei Poku has said their strike is to agitate for their conditions of service to be captured in 2016 budget.