Sampson Ahi: On page 117 of NPP’s manifesto that the NHIS has collapsed. How can you describe a scheme with a membership of 11m as a collapsed scheme?
KAM: NHIS was not established to register members so we don’t assess this as the objective of the NHIS. It is about medication and quality healthcare and not OPD attendance. Collapsing might have been a very harsh word. But the bottomline is that when constituents come to us, they tell us the scheme has collapsed. They are sometimes detained because they cannot pay for medications and healthcare. Sometimes I have to go 200 cedis to get the person discharged.
OB Amoah: How nominee will address incessant strikes in the health sector.
Nominee: A well motivated staff is more likely to refrain from strikes. He will maintain a good relationship with labour unions. He wants a six-month truce between the ministry and labour so he can understand the challenges the unionised employees face.
Nii Lante Vanderpuye: What will nominee do to tackle malaria, a disease he believes to be one of the highest causes of death in Ghana.
Kwaku Agyeman Manu (KAM): He will collaborate with Sanitation ministry to tackle the causes of Malaria.
Nii Lante Vanderpuye: What do you make of professional medical practitioners leaving their ward to occupy administrative position?
Kwaku Agyeman Manu (KAM): Before anwering the question, he pokes fun at the Minority saying change has indeed come because he used to sit in the seat of Minority MPs asking questions. Today he is answering questions as the Health minister-designate.
He says he has soften his position on medical doctors taking administrative post. The number of such professionals who have veered into administrative positions are not much.
Health minister-designate and Dormaa Central MP Kwaku Agyemang Manu is facing Parliament’s Appointments Committee.
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