Kofi Jumah slammed over ‘cholera politics’

The Minister of Health Joseph Yileh Kyireh has taken a swipe at New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for Asokwa, Hon. Kofi Jumah, accusing him of attempting to score cheap political points with the recent cholera epidemic that has killed 67, people with over 5,000 cases recorded.

Mr. Maxwell Kofi Jumah in an interview with Citi News on Monday March 28, said government lacked foresight in dealing with the sanitation challenges of district assemblies, leading to the outbreak of cholera in some parts of the country.

Hon. Jumah said the government has been reckless and irresponsible in terms of policy direction. According to him, instead of providing the urban assemblies with enough support in the area of sanitation, the President is declaring Red Alerts and chasing phantoms.

But the Health Minister strongly disagrees with Mr. Jumah.

According to him, the Local Government Ministry has done a lot in all districts, municipal and metropolitan assemblies, to address sanitation problems and that residents ought to observe basic hygienic practices which was now Government’s headache.

“I would say that the NDC Government apart from the 100 days of clean-up, we have consistently made sure that the system is resilient in terms of who should do what. So as far as I am concerned, Government has shown enough commitment in dealing with this matter. We have a Task Force dealing with this matter headed by NADMO, and among the task force members are officials from Information Ministry, Local Government Ministry, Ministry of Health and Water Resources Ministry”.

He told Citi News that on the contrary, the Mills administration has spent more money in dealing with sanitation issues than any other government. He denied claims that Government was cutting down budgetary allocations targeted at waste management.

“No Government has spent so much money than we have done to ensure that there is cleanliness and order in the city. But once again, any measures that are being taken to enforce environmental laws immediately spark off political debate as to who is doing the right. And during the NPP’s rule, Ghana was ranked the worst country in sanitation and that has dramatically improved since we came into power” he noted.

“We have provided dustbins and litter bins and all that in the past two years to ensure that we are responsible in what we do. It is not the amount of money you vote for a programme that matters, but rather ensuring that it is sustainable. The NDC Government has been consistent since 2009 and the President has shown enough will and commitment to fighting sanitation problems and the Government has not reduced any investment in that area” he said.

The Health Minister said the cholera outbreak had been contained in certain areas like the Upper West Region, where 8 people diagnosed of the disease were successfully treated.

“The issue of personal hygiene is very important. It is not something that Government can come and whisk away. Government has consistently campaigned using the entire medium that we can get and we have encouraged people to do the right thing so that cholera will die down”.

“We have also made adequate preparations to make sure that those who get the disease and report to the health centers early are taken care of. And so long as you report early, it is free to treat cholera so there is no reason why anybody should die. But if that happens, it is not because Government is not doing anything. The responsibility of ensuring that once life is protected cannot be held by a Government. It is individuals, the city authorities and everybody” the Minister noted.

Source: Citifm