NDC Government Is Taking Ghanaians For "Fool"- Dr. Kweku Afriyie

Former Health Minister under ex-president Kufour�s administration, Dr. Kweku Afriyie, has charged the NDC to render an unqualified apology to all Ghanaians for hoodwinking them with their �illogical� one time premium NHIS policy. The National Health Insurance Scheme(NHIS)has failed to see the light of the day after the NDC used it as a campaign message and won during the 2008 elections. �This NDC government is treating Ghanaian workers like fools, those of us who are contributing in the health sector are the ones suffering and the government is holding our legitimate monies in aberrance,�he stated. Dr. Afriyie hinted that due to the partisan strings the NDC had attached to the scheme, many private national health insurance providers, were refraining themselves from participating in providing quality health services to Ghanaians. The NDC, in the run up to the 2008 elections promised it would implement a onetime premium which will enable Ghanaians to make a one time payment for health care services in the country. But the party is yet to fulfill that promise it made in 2008. The former health minister revealed on Okay FM that he is embittered by the fact that a healthy scheme which started under his watch has been dying from the very time the NDC attached politics to it. �In the initial stage, it sounded like a joke when we said the scheme was dying, but the situation is no joke now; it has completely collapsed and we are all witnesses,� he said. He wondered why the one-time premium, a major campaign message of the NDC in 2008 was not implemented in the first four years of the NDC government. Dr. Kweku Afriyie, pointed out that since he contributed rigorously to the development of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to have a firmer foundation in Ghana, he becomes resentful about the way the NDC administration is handling the scheme. �The NDC made one profound statement on establishing one time premium. I urge them to render an apology to Ghanaians because when that promise is given a second thought, you would find out it is illogical. There is no sense in that promise and they used that strategy to hoodwink Ghanaians and won political power�. �Service providers, who are helping to strengthen the scheme, are also not being paid. For six months now, government hasn�t made any effort to pay the providers,� he added.