Tussle between Minister and Ranking Member
Parliament endorses mid year budget review
Parliament discusses allocation of cars to doctors
Government to waive taxes on insecticide treated nets
Tussle between Minister and Ranking Member
Accra (Greater Accra) 16 November 2001-The Speaker, Peter Ala Adjetey on Thursday saved Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of Energy and Kofi Asante, Minority Spokesman on Energy from a tussle that nearly turned Parliament into a battle ground for the two during the debate on the government's mid-year budget review and economic policy statement.
The situation compelled the Speaker to use his gavel several times and shouted at the top of his voice continually warning them that he did not want the debate to generate into a tussle between the Minister of Energy and the Ranking member.
Hardly had the Speaker ended his warning when Mr Asante demanded to know from the Minister where the strategic fuel depots that the Minister had promised the nation in the budget statement this year were.
In another move Mr Asante said the petroleum prices had come down and that by his calculation Ghanaians should now be paying not more than 7,000 cedis per gallon.
Mr Kan-Dapaah shot back saying that the Ranking Member's calculation was wrong. Mr Asante replied that his calculation was right because he was a mathematician. The Minister shouted: "It is not correct, it is not correct.... You don't know your mathematics..."
The Speaker cut in and said: "Mr Minister, let him make his presentation. Whether he is a magician, a mathematician or a saint are irrelevant to the issue," setting the House into laughter and uproar.
Hardly had Mr Asante and Kan-Dapaah's clash died down when the House was set in drama of uproar amidst banging of tables and heckling.
It started when the Speaker, who was having a tight control over time allocation to members to make their contributions, decided to give Alban Bagbin, the Minority Leader 25 minutes to make his submission on the debate.
Papa Owusu-Ankomah, the Majority Leader standing for some time without catching the eye of the Speaker protested that Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, was given only three minutes to contribute and while he was protesting the uproar started.
After the situation calmed down the Speaker said as at Wednesday he insisted that many members should make their contributions but they were no where to be found and now that he wanted to put the question they wanted to rush in with their contributions. Mr Bagbin and Mr Osafo-Maafo separately commended the Speaker for controlling the heated and interesting debate.
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Parliament endorses mid year budget review
Accra (Greater Accra) 16 November 2001-Parliament on Thursday endorsed the mid-year review of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of government for 2001 by a voice count after three days of heated debate that drew furry and anxiety from members.
The Majority and the Minority sharply disagreed on the legitimacy of the pattern of expenditure presented in the review.
The Minority sought in vain to amend the original motion calling on the Minister of Finance to submit new estimates for approval by the House since in their view, the government had unlawfully overspent and altered its expenditure pattern.
Mr Doe Adjaho, the Minority Chief Whip, said original budgetary estimates brought to the House conflicted with estimates logged in the review.
He said it was unconstitutional for the government to overspend or even alter its expenditure pattern without the consent of the House.
He quoted Article 179 clause 8 of the Constitution saying it empowered Parliament to approve of any expenditure made by the government.
"For instance in the original appropriation bill, 1.2 billion cedis was allocated for contingency but now 112 billion cedis has so far been spent” he pointed out.
"This House is being reduced to a rubber stamp. If we allow this motion to pass it would be unfair to the Constitution. We have to perform our watchdog role."
Mr Steve Akorli, NDC-Ho West, said, "there is a kind of executive fait creeping into the system and undermining the laws of the land".
He said the Executive by presenting figures on expenditure, which were quite different from the original budget, was a clear violation of the law.
Mr. Albert Kan Dapaah, Minister of Energy, said the Minority had got everything wrong because government had not breached any law or regulation.
He said government had not overspent adding that the alteration it did on the expenditure pattern was in consonance with the Financial Administration Regulation.
"The power to allow this action is vested in Chief Directors and other chief civil servants at the ministries." Mr. Adjaho said the Constitution was the supreme law of the land and no law or regulation supersedes it.
Mr. Yaw Osafo Maafo, Minister of Finance, said the minority was ignorant of the true situation saying government was acting within the confines of the law.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 16 November 2001-Dr Kwaku Afriyie, Minister of Health, said the Ghana Medical Association offered the criteria for the allocation of cars to medical doctors and other health personnel.
The issue of the allocation of the cars to doctors on Thursday drew prolonged debate with divergent views from members as to the cost and the main beneficiaries.
Mr Albert Gyapong - Mensah, NDC-Juabeso, asked the Minister how many saloon cars had been allocated to medical doctors countrywide and the criteria for the distribution.
Dr Afriyie said in 2000, the Ministry of Health placed an order for 200 saloon cars for allocation to medical personnel and so far 189 of the cars had arrived and had been accordingly allocated.
He said the practice of the ministry was that 75 per cent of any consignment of cars for allocation to medical personnel was allocated to doctors while 25 per cent was retained for allocation to other health personnel including consultants.
The Minister said the GMA, which was the umbrella organisation for doctors, considered seniority, location and active membership in the affairs of the association.
Mr Kwame Osei -Prempeh, NPP-Nsuta/Kwamang asked whether the cars were offered as official ones or were loaned to the doctors and the Minister said they were allocated on government guaranteed loans.
When Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, NDC- Fanteakwa asked the type of consultants that also benefited from the allocation of the cars, the Minister said pharmacists and other senior nursing officers undertaking consultancy services for the ministry were considered.
Mr David Yaw Mensah, NDC-Atebubu North asked for the value of the cars it drew a prolonged reaction from members, who demanded that the Minister provided the actual cost of the cars. Dr Afriyie then came out to say that the information he got was that each car cost about 140 million cedis.
Dr Mustapha Ahmed, NDC- Ayawaso East asked whether the ministry had plans to stop the allocation of the cars since the number of doctors continued to dwindle.
The Minister said the exercise was on going and that an incentive package had been drawn up for not only doctors but also other health personnel to encourage them to stay at post.
Dr Afriyie said priority would be accorded to doctors serving in deprived and remote hospitals areas where their services were much needed.
Alhaji Amadu Seidu, NDC- Yapei/Kusawgu, asked whether needy hospitals included private hospitals and clinics. The Minister said the allocation was reserved exclusively to the public sector but sometimes some private hospitals could be considered.
To a question asked by Mr Ransford Yaw Agyepong, NPP- Suhum about when the Suhum Government hospital would be provided with an ambulance, the Minister said the hospital had been earmarked to benefit from the next allocation of ambulances to needy hospitals.
Dr Afriyie said in view of the strategic location of the Suhum hospital, which served as one of the first referral centres for most of accident cases that occur along the Accra - Kumasi road the hospital would be given priority attention.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 16 November 2001 - The Minister of Health, Dr Kwaku Afriyie on Thursday said efforts were being made by the government to waive the tax on the insecticide treated nets to make them affordable as part of efforts to control malaria.
He said the promotion of the use of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) by children under five years and pregnant women was a major component of the interventions being promoted under the malaria control programme - Roll Back Malaria (RBM)
Dr Afriyie said this when answering a question in Parliament posed by Mr Kwakye Addo, NDC - Afram Plains South as to what programmes the ministry had put in place to make the approved nets accessible and affordable to the general public to fight malaria.
He said a public - private partnership for demand creation and supply of the nets had been established and was managed by the Ghana Social Marketing Foundation with support from the USAID.
The public sector was responsible for the demand creation aspect while the private sector was for the supply and distribution of the ITNs.
Dr Afriyie said the main problem with the use of the ITNs was the high cost due to the high taxes and tariffs on imported nets and the insecticides.
Dr Afriyie explained that malaria was hyper-endemic in Ghana and accounted for a large proportion of the disease burden in the country. Past control efforts had been fraught with both technical and managerial problems such as resistance of the vector to insecticides and inadequate funding for intervention activities.
Dr Afriyie said since 1998, Ghana had developed a comprehensive programme for malaria control termed Roll Back Malaria in partnership with all stakeholders.
"Scientific evidence shows that the use of ITNs leads to an overall reduction in the all-cause mortality in children under five years by as much as 20 per cent. Other interventions being promoted under the RBM include improving case management in health facilities and in homes, improving environmental sanitation and chemoprophylaxis for pregnant women", he added.
Dr Afriyie said in the interim, an appeal has been made to both the local and external partners to come to the aid of the ministry to help bring quantities of the ITNs into the market to improve the supply situation.
Mr Addo asked the Minister whether fast track measures would be used to ensure that the taxes were waived, the Minister said efforts were done expeditiously since the ITNs was one of the priority areas of the ministry.
Mr James Adusei-Sarkodie, NPP - Atwima- Nwabiagya, asked whether there were plans to undertake aerial spraying to check the effects of mosquitoes in the country, the Minister said aerial spraying had its merits and demerits and so research would have to be conducted to choose a suitable option.
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