The Deputy Minister of Health Dr.Victor Bampoe has said comments by President John Mahama that he was unaware of the situation at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital has been misinterpreted and misconstrued.
President Mahama in an interview on Sunrise Radio said although he is aware of the challenges facing the facility, the recent strike by the staff has not yet come to his attention.
“It hasn’t come to my attention, but I do know that the area of mental health is one of the areas where we need to focus our attention [because] our Psychiatrists tell us that all of us have a bit of madness in us and that somehow we all have some mental disorder or the other so it means that it is something that we need to pay attention to.
“We will take immediate steps to resolve the issue at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital and I am going to call the Minister of Health after this programme to see what the issues are and how we will resolve them”.
The comment by the President has been condemned by some Ghanaians.
But according to the deputy Health minister, the media misconstrued the president's response to the matter.
“The question was very specific and the answer was specific. He was asked about the strike action by Psychiatric nurses and he said he was not aware and it is not surprising given that he was out in the field campaigning and the strike was declared while he was away, then he went on to talk about the challenges in that sector so how can someone who is not aware of the challenges in the sector talk about the challenges in that same sector?
"It is very important for us to be fair and objective in our reportage. That is why the President has put in place a sector Minister to ensure issues of such nature are taken care of accordingly,” Mr. Bampoe stated.
The Accra Psychiatric Hospital has been in crisis following the absence of funds and medical supply for some months now.
The facility has subsequently started releasing the patients due to the lack of logistics to cater for them.
Source: starrfm
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If it was a whatsapp video about a woman insulting Nana Addo the incompetent president would have heard long ago. A preside t in in the field so he didn"t hear of a strike. How competent could that be? No wander we are in this mess!
dead goats don't hear so ediot mahama did not hear the strike, this tells you that mahama is not on top of the job he is just a waste of space wasting Ghanaians time, ediot in chief
Does it mean out in the field, is out of Ghana. What is Mr President & his minister saying? The world is now close to our door steps. In this technological era, one can be even in the space and still get to know developments or happenings in Ghana. We have people always interpreting President's statement, as if we are all illiterates. No wonder we have educated ***barred word*** in our midst. We are very discerning and our eagle ears are listening.
John Mahama's main duty as a president is to go about insulting Nana Addo, how will he know what is happening at the mental hospital. After December 8 he will know the state of affairs at the mental hospital.
Please deputy minister, don't spoil his case. We are not blind. We are not deaf. He said it. It was real. It's not about big ***barred word***, or ford, or corruption, or inflating contracts or conniving with Brazilian business men so Mahama will not know. It's not about vote buying so he would not know. Azaaman Hypocrite!
My people lets think of better things. The president is not aware cus it won't bring the NDC Money. If it were to be the putting up of a new psychiatric hospital he will be aware but the provision of logistics no. Please allow him cus that is their stock and pile
The President is NOT AWARE of anything. He is just the to amass wealth! CORRUPT, CORRUPT & CORRUPT. He simply does not care. All he cares is to make HUGE money on contracts that has no direct benefit to the people now. Psychiatric hospital? Oh no, that will not bring NDC money. CHANGE IS COMING!
Silence they say is golden. Does being in the field mean outside the jurisdiction? Some of us up country read all the issues preceding the strike in the papers and a whole President wasn't aware. Just flying around campaigning.Then we are in serious trouble because all government officials including the Chief of staff and ambassadors are in the filed campaigning. Who is briefing the President?
You are perfectly right.The president answer was to a specific question on the strike.There were series of events which the he was aware of but how can we expect the president to know about the beginning of the strike just some few hours or a day when when he was not briefed by protocol arrangement as governance procedure required more so when the President was out of Acrra at the start of the strike. Ghanaians let us understand things well before we start our comment or insult.The journalist who interview the President must be truthful on his question to the him to clear the confusion.No matter our political affiliation let respect our elected president .
if a bomb has detonated at ridge hospital will he say he was not aware if one of the tall building in Accra has collapsed will he say he is not aware