President Nana Akufo-Addo with some officers who were injured in the line of duty. Also with them are IGP Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, Interior Minister Ambrose Dery and his deputy, Naana Ayiah.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has launched a GH¢6.1 million police emergency medical intervention fund for personnel of the Ghana Police Service.
He also made a personal donation of GH¢100,000 to the fund to provide immediate financial assistance for the medical treatment of police officers who get injured in the line of duty.
Three police officers who needed medical treatment abroad have already received their fund from the President during the launch of the fund at the Police Hospital in Accra.
The occasion was also used to launch a Police Virtual Medical Centre and a new Outpatients Department (OPD) at the Police Hospital in Accra.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Akufo-Addo acknowledged that the wealth of the nation is dependent on the health of its people, saying “we have to be healthy to transform Ghana. We have to be healthy to try to make a brighter future for Ghana and we have to be healthy to work for ourselves.”
He commended the Police Administration and the management of the Police Hospital for constructing the new OPD, which will help decongest the existing facility which hitherto, was responsible for the management of emergency cases as well as rendering OPD services.
“This new OPD which cost GH¢180,000, will be dedicated to emergency cases only in line with best practices and will ensure a clear line of separation between emergency cases and routine OPD visits, thereby improving the quality of service delivery at the hospital,” he disclosed.
He expressed excitement about the establishment of a Virtual Medical Centre at the hospital.
“Most of you may know that since my assumption of office about five years ago, one of the obvious successes chalked by my government has been the execution of the impressive agenda to digitise fully all aspects of our national lives.
“The digitalisation agenda of my government which comprises of a robust national identification system, digital property system, paperless port system, e-justice system, pensions and insurance, digitised land registry, and mobile money interoperability system are intended to improve transparency, accountability and efficiency in the delivery of public service,” he pointed out.
President Akufo-Addo maintained that the construction of an equally modest sum of GH¢50,000 virtual medical centre, which is an end to end virtual hospital management, will allow patients no matter their location in the country to undertake virtual consultation with health care professionals at the hospital.
“Police personnel irrespective of their location can now access health care services from the hospital anywhere in the country at anytime,” he said.
Continuing, he said “officers of the service are guaranteed a protective platform for seamless consultation with the doctors beginning with virtual OPD attendance through diagnosis, laboratory referrals, prescription of drugs and subsequent reviews, all of which medical processes can be done without one having to travel from his or her station.”
He said as part of the virtual consultation, if the medical situation of a patient demands a higher level of attention, the medical doctor will immediately make the necessary arrangement for the patient to be evacuated to the nearest medical facility for treatment.
“This virtual medical centre, the first of its kind in the public sector, is indeed worthy of emulation and could not have come at a better time as we continue to battle the surge of COVID-19 which has limited the person-to-person contact,” he added.
Interior Minister
Minister of the Interior, Ambrose Dery, recalled that in the early days of their assumption of office, and upon an invitation by the then Inspector General of Police, Mr. Asante Apeatu, he met a philanthropist who had come to assist some of the injured police officers seeking proper medical care and was very touched.
“Immediately, I met the President and when I told him about this case, his remarks still remain indelible in my mind,” the minister disclosed.
He said the President directed that an immediate action must be taken to rectify this situation, and gave his consent for an insurance scheme to be made for all personnel.
He said the President also ordered that all backlog promotion be rectified since he believes that welfare of police personnel and other security personnel must be taken seriously.
“The President is committed to seeing to the welfare of police officers improved, that is why in the 2018 budget he allocated a huge amount for the purchase of logistics for the Ghana Police Service,” he said, adding “since then, we have experienced an increase in the confidence of personnel of the Ghana Police Service.”
IGP’s Case
The Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare said the President has demonstrated an immeasurable and historic commitment to the Police Service over the years towards the provision of logistics to the service and personnel welfare.
“History will be very kind to you when tomorrow comes,” he told the President.
Giving a background of the three police officers who will be benefitting from the fund immediately after the launch, Dr. Dampare said Chief Inspector Victor Mark Anako for almost fifteen years has been waiting for this opportunity to have an artificial leg.
“He was on an operation at Nsawam, where they responded to a bank robbery, in the process of which one of the robbers shot him in 2007,” he said.
“The resources to cater for him were not forthcoming and this gentleman resigned to his fate and was almost forgotten until today that he will be presented with the full cost of his medication in Germany.”
The second person he mentioned is Inspector Elizabeth Theresa Ohene who through a job-related sickness was bed-ridden for so many years.
“The issue started in 2014 and she has to wait for all these years to have the facilities to undertake the operation that she needs. She has gone through her first operation and the second has been slated at Focus Medical Centre next month,” he disclosed.
The third person, according to Dr. Dampare, is Corporal Isaac Asuman Opoku who was providing the normal police duties of ensuring police visibility and fighting crime at Kaneshie, Accra last year when he suffered an accident.
“He was knocked down by two vehicles and we can all say that it was by a miracle that he is still alive with one leg amputated. He is also going to benefit from the fund,” Dr. Dampare stated.
He told the President that the police will forever be grateful to him and in the spirit of reciprocity he assured the President that the police will continue, with all their might to act professionally, to act tirelessly to protect lives and property and maintain law and order.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey