Rawlings decries poor health delivery, praises late Admiral Dzang

Accra, Feb. 12, GNA - Former President Jerry John Rawlings has called on the government and health authorities to restore "the sense of responsibility" of health personnel at all government hospitals in the country.

He bemoaned the situation where health personnel at these facilities were repeatedly accused of being negligent and uncaring to patients, leading to numerous preventable deaths. Flt Lt. Rawlings, who made the call when the family of the late Admiral Chemogh Kuukpeng Kevin Dzang called at his Ridge residence on Wednesday, to announce funeral details of the late officer.

Dzang's widow, Mrs. Emelia Dzang then recounted a harrowing tale of how health delivery at a government health facility in Accra contributed to the death of her late husband. Former President Rawlings wondered why health professionals could go to such levels of insensitivity and questioned what the government and health authorities were doing about it. He cautioned the Health Minister, Benjamin Kumbuor, who was part of the visiting delegation, to impress on government to institute investigations into the conduct of health service professionals at state facilities in the country.

Flt. Lt Rawlings said there were numerous unreported cases of ill people dying because of the "negligence and insensitivity" of health service professionals.

He recalled the poor management of state health facilities during the Acheampong era and said the current situation was close to that period. "Such irresponsible behaviour is like corruption and when unchecked, it leads to indiscriminately killing of other healthy people. These deaths deprive us of some of our best and everything possible has to be done to restore the standards of health delivery".

"Admiral Dzang was an officer and a gentleman and did not deserve such horrible treatment. General

Quainoo once said a country that does not reward its heroes is not worth dying for. Every Ghanaian deserves

to be treated with respect and value at our health facilities and we have to wake up to our responsibilities,"

former President Rawlings demanded. Earlier, Lieutenant General Arnold Quainoo had expressed the condolences of the former first couple to the

family of Admiral Dzang and described him as a 'gentleman's gentleman'. "He was a calm, contemplative and deeply thoughtful man and the news of his death came as a shock to

me," General Quainoo said. Admiral Dzang will receive a state funeral service in Accra on February 25 2010. Final funeral rites would be

held at Nandom on February 26 and would be buried at the Naa Gbullu Chiir II's Palace on February 27. The Thanksgiving service will be held at the St. Theresa's Catholic Cathedral, Nandom, on February 28. Later, a delegation from the Techiman Traditional Council also called on former President Rawlings to

invite him to the final funeral rites of the late Osabarima Dotobibi Takyia Ameyaw II, the late Omanhene of the

Techiman Traditional Area. Known in private life as Colonel Frimpong, the late Omanhene's final funeral rites will take place on

February 27 and 28 at the Ohene Ameyaw Palace in Techiman. 12 Feb. 10