The National Democratic Congress is promising to construct 20 additional polyclinics in the country in its second term under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama.
The construction of the polyclinics in the Ashanti, Eastern, Volta and Upper East regions forms part of the measures by the party to ensure access to healthcare delivery to more Ghanaians in those areas.
President Mahama who revealed this in Accra Tuesday while giving highlights of the NDC 2016 manifesto said their next government would ensure the completion of 15 other polyclinics being put up in the Greater Accra and Central regions.
The manifesto, due to be launched on Saturday in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo region, is grouped into four thematic arrears which the party says are geared towards delivering its changing lives and transforming Ghana vision.
President Mahama said the Accra Psychiatric Hospital would be relocated to Pantang in Accra while they will also develop the Pantang Medical Hospital into a first class mental health facility.
He said the next NDC government will “build two new psychiatric hospitals in the Ashanti and Northern Regions”.
“We shall train more psychiatric specialists (doctors, nurses & psychologists) to specialise in mental health care,” he said.
At the core of these health facilities will be health personnel who the president said would be increased as well as motivate them through rewarding conditions of service and their fair placement on the country’s salary structure
“We will support bilateral and other exchange programmes for our health personnel, including nurses and midwives, to expose them to best international practices,” President Mahama assured.
Accommodation for these personnel will also be increased, he said.
NHIS not collapsing
President Mahama rejected assertions that the country’s National Health Insurance Scheme has collapsed, saying, “the NHIS is working!”
The president said outpatient utilisation of the scheme has gone up by 20.3 million, while “claims payments increased from GH¢18.3million to over GH¢1 billion in 2014”.
He said there have been establishment of claims processing centres and also put in place an electronic claims system known as e-claims.
He said his NDC government is committed to striving “to deliver affordable world class health services” that Ghanaians can rely on.
By Stephen Kwabena Effah|3news.com|Ghana
