GRi In Parliament 28-01-99

Accra (Greater Accra), 28 Jan.  

Mrs Margaret Clarke-Kwesie, Minister of State, yesterday noted that the government's pragmatic and positive development policies are yielding fruits resulting in the decrease in inflation and interest rates.

She said these policies have also led to the springing up of different small to medium scale factories in recent times adding, ''the balance sheet on the economy is very positive in spite of what the critics are saying''.

''The Bank of Ghana has had to suspend registration of new banks for the time being due to the increasing rate of applicants''. Mrs Clarke-Kwesie, who was contributing to the debate on the sessional address said the address was very positive and was not a litany of woes as some minority members sought to portray.

She said despite the difficulties experienced last year the country was able to produce beyond the 400,000 tonnes of food two years ahead of target due to the government's pragmatic policies.

''The road networks are the best the country has ever known'', she said. Mrs Clarke-Kwesie who is also the NDC member for Ga South, noted that at this rate, Ghana can achieve its target of becoming a middle income country by the year 2020.

''If some members have forgotten where they came from, we have not, we know where we are going and have structures to take us there with the support of all Ghanaians.''

She said the country has made considerable progress in the health and educational sectors with more families having access to good drinking water, food and shelter and have ''higher aspirations, all indications of social economic development''.

Mr Fuzzy Torbey, NDC-Okere, said the President should be commended for his address and mentioned in particular his call for review of districts boundaries. He said in reviewing the boundaries, the authorities should consult traditional rulers, district assemblies and opinion leaders in order to avoid the overlapping of boundaries that is currently creating problems.

Mr Torbey also commended the call for the review of the common fund distribution and disbursement saying ''the system has weaknesses and there is injustice as far as equitable distribution of the fund is concern''. He suggested that the sharing of the fund should be based on constituencies, ''10 per cent of the fund for poverty alleviation at the districts should be set aside for the disabled''. Mr Torbey also complained about the imbalance in the distribution of both government and foreign funded projects in some districts and suggested

that constituency co-ordinators should be appointed to ensure that their constituencies are catered for.

The member commended moves to promote made in Ghana goods and the successful take off of the Free Zones programme under the "Gateway Project". He said investors should be encouraged to buy only serviced lands to avoid litigation problems, however, he noted that the price of a plot of serviced land of about 34,000 dollars is too high and should be subsidised by government. In Senegal, service lands are free, putting Ghana at a disadvantage since investors would choose to go there instead coming to Ghana, he said.

Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, the Minority Spokesman for Foreign Affairs, said in spite of the rosy picture being painted about the economy ''the reality on the ground is not so. Sometimes when my colleagues are talking I wonder if we are in the same country''. He lauded the Youth in Agriculture Programme but cautioned that care should be taken so that it does not become another wing of the ''Progressive Voluntary Organisations or the Assciation for the Defence of the Revolution, both seen as arms of the ruling NDC.''. He said the President's caution on infiltration into the army by political elements is uncalled for saying ''it is the NDC government through the ACDRs who have infiltrated the armed forces''. He said the President's call for dialogue and consultation is welcomed but he, ''can not insult us with 'Wo ka koraa no na me ye no more' , then afterwards invite us to join them. Such arrogant postures cannot augur well for dialogue''.

On Foreign Affairs, the member expressed the hope that ECOWAS will spend more energy on promoting free movement of goods and persons, harmonisation of policies and the creation of a monetary union among other policies this year.

Mr Owusu-Agyemang said in promoting economic diplomacy, the government should emulate the ''Indian Elephant rather than the Asian Tigers''."I hope the new missions like the one in Malaysia will bring in more

investors to the country which appear to be elusive since they were established''.

Much as the Free Zones Programme is laudable, what is happening now, he noted is mere establishment of ware houses for re-exporting and called for the establishment of industries in the zone to create employment for Ghanaians. Mr S. Otu Darkoh, NPP-Ga North, in his contribution complained about the failure of the government to conduct a national population census in conformity with the provisions of the 1992 Constitution. He said a census is the only basis for assessing the needs of the nation And accordingly plan and work towards them. The member noted that it was unfortunate that the Vision 2020 document had been prepared with the view of the country attaining a middle income status without a credible population data.

''In the absence of a credible population data and for the country to have a free, fair and transparent elections in the year 2000, I call on the EC (Electoral Commission) not only to update the voters register, but as a matter of urgency undertake to provide citizenship ID cards to all Ghanaians of voting age. He further called on the EC to review the demarcation of constituencies and districts as required by the Local Government Act. The Ga North constituency in particular needs to be accorded a district status, he said.

Major Samuel K. Amponsah, NDC-Mporhor Wassa East, said the Keta Sea Defence Project has attracted the attention of all governments in the past. Now that the NDC government has had the political courage to implement it, the Ministries of Finance and Works and Housing should ensure that it is completed early. He also welcomed the construction of a 10 - kilometre sea defence wall in the Western Region saying that ''the Volta and Western Regions are accursed so far as the ravaging sea is concerned, both projects should, therefore, be tackled together''. The member said apart from the sea defence wall, the two regions lack good roads and schools and should be given special attention. ''Schools in the rural areas should be supported to improve their standard to the level of urban schools''. He said the Ministry of Education, which has been tasked to work out modalities for the implementation of the Education Trust should expedite action.

Major Amponsah said turning the Railway Corporation into a limited liability company is very important and the Ministry of Finance should do well to give it the necessary support.

On health, he said if the Police Hospital is not given the financial support it deserves, it will not be in a position to help the country in time of crisis.

Dr Francis Osafo-Mensah, NPP-Mpreaso, said despite the increase in the number of phone lines, Ghana Telecom after privatisation has not improved its services as most of it's pay phones have gone out of order.

''What new technology has the investor added, are they still pursuing the policies of the P&T?, the investors ought to be monitored so that they do not rather take away the expertise of the Ghanaian workers''. He welcomed the new telecommunication company, Westel, and expressed the hope that their presence will help improve efficiency in the telecommunication industry. He said the government needs to create awareness and make Internet accessible to Ghanaians since it has a great potential to accelerate development particularly in the next millennium. The member suggested the removal of taxes on equipment for Internet to improve the access ratio of 1: 5000 Ghanaians.

On the film industry, he said ''one of the greatest blunders of the government is the sale of the Ghana Film Industry Corporation (GFIC), to the detriment of Ghanaian film makers''.

Dr Osafo-Mensah said Ghanaian film makers now have to go outside to do post production work on their films. He called for proper naming and numbering of streets so that door to door postal services could be re-introduced.

Accra (Greater Accra), 28 Jan.

The Ministry of Health has proposed free treatment for snake bites this year. This is in addition to a scheme of free health care for the aged in the rural areas, pregnant women and children under five years.

As at now anti-snake serum is not administered free of charge. Institutions charge 15,000 cedis per vial instead of 45,000 cedis.

Mr Samuel Nuamah-Donkor, the sector minister, who announced this in Parliament yesterday, said 10 billion cedis has been approved to cover these exemptions.

The Minister was answering questions ranging from the source of procurement of anti-snake venom serum to whether the administration of the serum is free of charge in public hospitals.

The questions stood in the name of Mr Malik Al-Hassan Yakubu, NPP-Yendi, who in a statement to Parliament last year, expressed concern about the shortage of the serum at the Yendi District Hospital and the spate of death resulting from snake bites.

The Minister said both the 1997 sessional address and the budget statement prescribed free treatment for children under five years, pregnant women, the elderly and for dog and snake bites.

But he explained that analysis of the implications of this wide-ranging free treatment showed that the resources provided in the 1997 budget could not support treatment for all the categories indicated.

Mr Nuamah-Donkor announced that 17,000 vials of anti-snake venom serum have been ordered by the ministry from its traditional sources and that these are to be delivered between March and June, this year for supply to public health institutions.

He said since the shelf life of the serum is three years, the 17,000 vials will be efficacious until 2000.

On the source of procurement of the serum and the effectiveness of treatment, Mr Nuamah-Donkor said a few sources are known world-wide to bemanufacturing and supplying the serum with adequate potency cover for West African snakes, adding that the main traditional sources have been Pasteur Merieux of France and Chron Beoring of Germany.He said anti-snake serum from both sources are efficacious for the typesof poisonous snakes found in the country.

Mr Nuamah-Donkor told the House that in 1997, the country's traditional suppliers were unable to satisfy the annual requirement due to productionproblems, so the ministry was compelled to source from less known manufacturers, Haffkine from India.

He said the 4,000 vials of serum ordered from Haffkine was closest to that from the traditional suppliers, adding that in 1998, the Indian manufacturers again supplied 7,000 vials.

The Minister said towards the end of that year almost all the hospitals in the Northern Region complained that the normal dose of the serum was inadequate.The Haffkine serum, he explained, has limited potency cover and that it has been used as a stopgap measure until normal supplies resume from the traditional sources.

On the production of anti-snake venom serum locally, Mr Nuamah-Donkor said the option is good but not cost-effective, because the process, among other things, involves the breeding of snakes and horses.He said the ministry will explore the use of the "black stone" and herbal preparation in the treatment of snake bites.

The Minister told the House that the government is committed to the development of traditional medicine since it recognises that about 70 percent of the rural population depended on it.

Asked if the ministry has any plan to eradicate snakes in the country since they are a menace to human life, Mr Nuamah-Donkor replied that snakes also have important role in the sustenance of the ecology and maintenance of the ecological balance.