Ban foreign Medical trips so appointees can also die here – Professor to government

A lecturer at University of Ghana Political Science Department, Prof. Rasnford Gyampo says there is the need for government to add foreign Medical trips to the temporary ban placed on foreign trips by government appointees.

The Chief of Staff on Sunday announced government’s decision to suspend all foreign travels by ministers of state, deputy ministers, and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembly Chief Executives.

The statement said only the Foreign Minister was exempted from the ban placed on foreign trips.

The move by government is geared towards “minimizing disruption to Government’s domestic work”.

Reacting to the ban, the Political Scientist said it is a welcoming decision but urged government to extend it to include a ban on foreign Medical trips.

To him, adding foreign medical trips to the ban will allow appointees prioritize the improvement of health delivery in the country.

He said “All foreign trips for medical checkups must be banned to force us to prioritize in improving healthcare home,” he said, adding, “Let appointees die here as a result of poor healthcare facilities to compel us to sit up”.

The Lecturer at the University of Ghana indicated that there was also the need to cut down the number of persons who follow the President during his travels saying “There is no money and we must protect the public purse from needless expenses”.

He further said “Even though some of the conference require technical information and must be attended by technocrats who may attract lower per diem rates, top officials may prefer to embark on such trips themselves, thereby denying technocrats the exposure required to work home”.

Prof. Gyampo noted that some appointees monopolize the travels just because of their perdiem and fail to implement whatever is been said at the various conferences they attend; something to him slows down development in the country.

“We cannot allow this practice to go on just because of somebody’s inordinate desire for per diem!” he said.

Prof. Gyampo is also demanding that ministers and top appointees caught traveling abroad to attend lectures are sacked, adding “only Ministers who have the requisite qualifications should be appointed, not those who would want to use the opportunity given them to acquire degrees”.