I have a manifesto;
As juicy as tomato, Conducive to political soup;
On me, never swoop!
I’ll give it without a whoop
We all know what a vehicle is, don’t we? Before a vehicle can be moved, it must have a serviceable engine. In short, a lorry moves about using a non-defective engine. If the engine is not given the needed attention, the lorry breaks down and becomes useless.
Man can be likened to a vehicle. His heart is equal to an engine in a vehicle. When the heart is defective, man is almost a living dead! We are all witnesses to the numerous cases of heart problems in Ghana. The problem involves both young and old. How pathetic to see, for example, a hole-in-heart child gasping for breath.
The most unfortunate and tear-inspiring part of it all is the huge financial burden involved in the treatment of a single heart problem. This is accentuated by the periodic appeals for funds, on behalf of heart patients, by newspapers, in collaboration with the patient’s families.
When one goes to the Korle-Bu Cardiothoracic Center, one would be greeted with a sad spectacle of groaning, emaciated heart patients impatiently waiting to be operated upon, but lacking funds!
Ghana is a developing country and needs the services of all citizens to help with its developmental programmes. It is against this background that my party, of which I am the sole Founder – PERISCOPE PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE PARTY (PPCP), has among its manifesto, the FREE treatment of ALL heart patients in the various hospitals in Ghana.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, led by His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, between 2001 and 2008 introduced an agenda under which our women with “belly full” had free medical attention, school children in deprived areas had free food, this was extended to cover our schools nationwide, free bus rides for school children, and free basic school. The party, even hoped to make Senior High School free, should it be returned to power.
Currently, the same New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, led by President Akufo-Addo, has made Senior High School education free, with other human-face policies too numerous to merit space here.
Yes, all these ‘free’ and life-improving policies and programmes are good and highly commendable. But, if these numerous heart patients are left to die for lack of funds, Ghana will be the loser.
My party, PPCP, is not a political party; it is a social party, non-governmental. Its main aim is to put forward suggestions for adoption. But, since we are in an election period, with political parties leaving no stone unturned to win power, I term my suggestions as a manifesto, so that parties desperate for power can adopt and include them in their own manifestos (note, the plural for manifesto is MANIFESTOS, not Manifestoes).
There are numerous heart patients in Ghana, majority of who rely on societal benevolence for treatment. In some cases, however, a response to appeals for funds does not delay, and would-be beneficiaries die before the funds reach them for treatment.
My Party, PPCP, therefore, passionately appeals to our political parties giving promises, some unrealistic bearing the colour of deceit, to think seriously of funding treatment of heart patients FREE. The Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital is doing its best by paying half of the cost of treatment. The remaining half to be paid by patients is, however, still a problem.
The benefits to be derived from this suggested free treatment of heart patients far outweigh the cost. This is because human beings are a huge investment to every country. Most of these patients are children, who are our ‘future leaders’, as it is usually said. Should we see them die, because they have nobody to fund their treatment?
I do, even, think that apart from the fund set up by the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital to pay half of the cost of treatment of heart patients, the government should think of setting up its own National Fund along the same line as the Educational Fund – GETFund.
Such a National Fund, to be called SAVE THE HEART FUND (STHF), should be exclusively used to fund the treatment of heart patients. To whip up public interest in such a Fund, sustained public education should be carried out by government publicity agencies such as the Information Services Department, in collaboration with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).
Publicity campaigns towards this cause should also include fund-raising activities such as durbars, football matches, concerts, music fiestas, and fun games such as soccer between Married People XI and Unmarried People XI and All Abosomfuo XI. Such matches should take place regionally.
Just imagine both soccer fans and those not normally interested in soccer getting to know that, Nana Kwaku Bonsam would be keeping the goal in the All Abosomfuo XI, while Rev. Dr. Opambuor Ebenezer Adarkwa Yiadom in the All Pastors XI plays at the full back position. People would troop in their numbers to watch such matches, no matter the cost.
Perhaps, all market mummies representatives would be matched against all-female dancers and musicians in a tug-of-war in our regional stadia. Don’t worry about the sizes of the market heavy weights. If the young celebrities can put up vigorous ‘atopa’ dance on the stage, they are equally capable of beating the market mummies in an encounter, such as, even, bedroom nocturnal Rock ‘N’ Roll.
Yes, there are numerous ways of getting money into the SAVE THE HEART FUND (STHF). Sometime ago, the renowned Heart Surgeon, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, now Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, believed that should each Ghanaian contribute even the old ¢200, it would go a long way to help treat heart patients free of charge.
I believe it is not that Ghanaians are insensitive to the plight of heart patients to find it not needful to help treat them. The problem is who is to go round to collect this ¢200, which children can even contribute.
To shorten matters, the government should set up the “SAVE THE HEART FUND,” just like the COVID-19 Fund, into which donations will be lodged.
As it is said, “Little drops of water make the mighty ocean” no contribution will be too small. This issue of heart patients’ inability to meet the cost of treatment has been a bother to people of compassion for a long time. For human beings are so important that none should be left alone to rot, especially if he can be saved with the least societal effort.
It is an irony of life that society looks on unconcerned while Rome burns, but quickly reacts in sympathy when all is already lost! Is it the hypocritical case of “Adasa pe moboro”?
We should be reminded of the philosophical saying that “I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it NOW. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
Let our motto always be: I shall not be satisfied with my kingly food, until I see the poor satisfied too.
Our heart patients need urgent help. Let all the affluent in Ghana and those who can contribute a widow’s mite go to their aid by contributing into the Heart Fund at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, that is, if there is such a Fund there. If not, the government should take the bull by the horns and set up ‘SAVE THE HEART FUND” just like the COVID-19 Fund, which continues to attract huge donations from individuals, corporate bodies, etc.
Now, which political party is prepared to make treatment of heart patients FREE? It should tell me, so that I start to campaign for it to win the elections, that is, if it’s promise does not bear any trace of deceit!
OVER TO YOU, AGYANOM NE ENANOM POLITICIANS. THE CHOICE IS YOURS. It is a winnable manifesto.
By GODFRIED K. ARHIN-KUMI
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s editorial stance
The post PERISCOPE; (Advocate against cheating and of peaceful co-existence) HERE IS MY MANIFESTO! appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS