Mahama instructs former appointees to join govt to fight COVID-19

Former President John Dramani Mahama has asked all appointees who served under his government to support the country’s efforts at containing the COVID-19 spread.

“I have instructed my communication team and public health advisors to support any efforts by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ministry of Health in this particular regard.

“This virus is an enemy to all Ghanaians and the call to duty in the fight against it rises above partisanship and politics,” he said.

According to the former President, who addressed Ghanaians in a live Facebook session dubbed: “JohnMahamaLive” in Accra today [March 16, 2020], the cause to fight the disease was beyond partisanship, for which reason Ghanaians with capabilities needed to assist the government to contain the spread of the virus. 

He further urged the leadership of ECOWAS to come up with plans to deal with the virus, as happened when there was an Ebola outbreak in some member countries.

Mr Mahama was of the view that ECOWAS health and relevant ministers and their advisors ought to hold a teleconference as a matter of urgency to review sub-regional actions in handling the deadly virus to protect its citizens.

Fake news

Touching on information sharing on the virus, the former President urged the government to put out credible information on the disease to ward off misinformation and mistrust in the system, saying fake news and lack of trust "are our enemies in this fight".

According to him, a pandemic of this nature could only be fought if the authorities were transparent with issues concerning the disease.

He, therefore, charged the Ministry of Information to put measures in place to deal with fake news on the virus.

He reiterated the fact that the outbreak was a national issue and entreated the government to resource public health facilities with the needed logistics to deal with the virus.

He said essentials such as personal protective gear or equipment must be provided for frontline health workers.

Suspension of tour

Mr Mahama said he had temporarily suspended his ‘SpeakOut tour’ of the country he had embarked on following the outbreak of the virus.

He said the decision was in compliance with the directive by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to limit public travels and gatherings, among other measures.

“The virus outbreak is a national issue and we really are all in this together. My party and I will play our role in supporting national efforts to mitigate the threat and support our people through this crisis. But let’s face the facts. Our public healthcare service is already under strain and the coming weeks and months are going to be challenging,” he said.

The former President explained that as a minority and the voice of the voiceless, “we will hold the government to account on these issues”.

“We will be supportive of the measures and actions being taken by the government, while remaining vigilant to ensure that the public is adequately protected. This is not a time for words; it is a time for action,” he added.

He further called on the government to immediately ensure the provision of isolation centres in all regions in the country.

“I commit you all to the goodness and grace of God and remain hopeful that we will be successful in containing and eliminating this virus from our shores,” he said.

On the economy, he demanded that the government publish plans on how it intended to protect the economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

He claimed that the government had failed to address the impact the disease would have on the economy and was doing little to cushion the country against a plunge in the economy.

Commendation

Mr Mahama, meanwhile, commended all frontline health workers for their efforts in these trying moments.

"Our country is behind you and we are relying on your courage and competence to see us through this difficult time. We ask for God's protection for you in this hour of crisis," he said, adding: “The measure of our country's greatness is in a moment of crisis such as this and how we rise to the challenge."

He also urged Ghanaians to observe laid-down protocols on the virus, as prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the GHS.