USA, UK Sectors offer huge attraction - Nana Akomea

Accra, March 4, GNA - The huge attraction offered in the health sectors of United States of America and Britain is a major pull factor in the exodus of health professionals from the country, Nana Akomea, Minister of Information, said on Thursday.

He said the same can be said for all third world countries, but was quick to add that the situation prevails in the United Kingdom where British health professionals and other third world health personnel are leaving Britain for the USA health system.

Nana Akomea, who was briefing the press at the Weekly Meet the Press Series, was responding to assertions made by Professor John Evans Atta Mills, Flag Bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at a Public Forum on Tuesday.

Prof. Mills in his address at the Forum criticized the Government for not doing much to halt the exodus of health professionals from the country, a trend he described as, "alarming".

Nana Akomea said the flight of health professionals outside the country was a regrettable situation and that the Government was doing its utmost - by providing housing and vehicles for medical personnel.

He expressed surprise at Prof Mills' concern over the issue, "when in 1998 under Prof Mills Vice-Presidency, 61 doctors left the country while 72 left in 1999 and 52 in 2000.

On Government's handling of the Health Insurance Scheme, Nana Akomea said there was nothing wrong with the measures the Government was taking to implement it.

"The Minimum benefits Package is to be spelt out in the Legislative Instrument (LI) on the health insurance and not in the Act. The LI has not yet been presented to Parliament. So it should be in order if input is sought from stakeholders before the proposals are finalized in the LI, "Nana Akomea said.

The Minister debunked Prof Mill's allegations that in the three years of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government, the political atmosphere has been marked with tensions, divisiveness, intolerance, fear, intimidation and harassment.

"... We have to be fair and objective. We will agree that the political atmosphere in the last three years in terms of tension, divisions, fear and intimidation is a great improvement over the period of the NDC, right through the Prof Mills' Vice Presidency." Nana Akomea said it was also not true that that Government was waging a "cruel vendetta against the leadership of the NDC and other parties", saying the NPP government had lent active support to key NDC members such as Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, Dr Ekow Spio Garbrah and Mr Victor Gbeho.

On the economy, Nana Akomea said Prof Mills' claim that the economy was "stable" in 2000 could not be as the year-end growth rate was 3.7 per cent and inflation was 41 per cent while the Treasury bill rate was 34 per cent; the Bank rate was 51 per cent and external reserves - 300 million dollars - were just two weeks of imports cover.

He questioned how Prof Mills would describe the situation today when growth rate was 5.2 per cent, inflation at 22 per cent and Treasury bill rate down to 17 per cent; Bank rates are now below 30 per cent and external reserves 1.4 billion dollars or four months import cover. He said the claim that the NDC broke the monopoly of state radio and TV, spawning 4 television stations and more than 40 radio stations is laudable, "but we know that the media proliferation was something the NDC could not stop. It had been provided for in the 1992 Constitution." He said under the NPP government radio stations have increased from 40 to 110 in the three years.

On issues of transportation concerning the state of the Ominibus Service Authority (OSA) and City Express Services, the Minister of Information said they were all but dead under the NDC. He said the NPP Government was reviewing the ownership and management structures for mass transport that would maximize the strengths of the public and private sectors working together.

He noted that the pressing need is to increase coverage of mass transport, "towards this end, 350 high capacity buses have been ordered from Holland and China and are due to arrive soon.

"These buses, which are to augment the existing fleet, should see a dramatic improvement in the coverage of mass transport to ease the travel needs of our cities and towns."