Ato Forson is peddling falsehood on drone for medical deliveries deal - Dr Twum-Nuamah

The chairman of the Health Committee of Parliament, Dr. Kwabena Twum-Nuamah has challenged claims by the Minority that government is going to purchase drones which should ordinarily cost about US$100,000 dollars for US$1million

According to Dr Twum-Nuamah, the claim, which had been peddled by the National Democratic Congress' (NDC) Member of Parliament for Ajumako Enyan Essiam constituency, Cassiel Ato Forson was a "palpable lie and a figment of his own imagination."

On Monday, December 3, 2018, Mr Ato Forson accused government and the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia of fraudulently and criminally inflating the deal that will allow for the use of drones in the distribution of blood and other medicinal products.

However, Dr. Twum-Nuamah who was on the television programme - PM Express - on Joy News with Mr Ato Forson on Tuesday December 4, 2018, emphatically stated that the drone delivery service will come at zero cost to the government of Ghana budget, stressing that as per the current arrangements the cost will be borne by the corporate sector through their corporate social responsibility obligations.

He further dispelled rumours that the project is expensive and would cripple government’s budget. Rather, he said the project cost per service delivery of $17 is lower than what is currently being charged in Rwanda at $22.7 per delivery, and most importantly, would go a long way to save precious lives.

Dr. Kwabena Twum-Nuamah questioned Ato Forson’s credibility and understanding of the service agreement, wondering why he would not let his colleagues on the Health Committee of parliament who have better grasp of the subject to debate it but him (Ato Forson).

It must be noted that Ato Forson is noted for having gained notoriety for rushing to discredit any good policy by government for which his claims eventually prove to be falsehood. Classical example of such rushed falsehoods by Ato Forson is his projection of mobile money tax and other tax increases in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 budgets which all proved to be hoax.

Also, He was exposed by the International Monetary Fund's clarification of $2billion Sinohydro barter deal.

In his confusion, Ato Forson tried severally to refer to pages of the service agreement but the host of PM Express on Joy News TV, Evans Mensah would even struggle to comprehend what he (Ato Forson) meant.

Ghana’s emergency medical drone delivery service will save tens of millions of Cedis by eliminating the need for expensive emergency trips to pick up health care products and by avoiding wasteful overstocking of products at health facilities and will operate 24 hrs a day from 4 distribution centers across the country. The distribution centers will stock 184 lifesaving and essential medical supplies.