Dialysis Crisis: John Mahama urges govt to scrap import taxes on medications and treatment kits
AM News with Benjamin Akakpo on JoyNews (3-10-23)
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Let's get into the AM news now into our first story. Former President Mahama is
00:04 asking government to as a matter of urgency scrap import charges and taxes on
00:10 medication and kits for dialysis treatment. His comments follow a recent
00:14 increment in the cost of dialysis services at the renal dialysis unit of
00:18 the Kolibu teaching hospital. Now speaking at an event to mark this year's
00:22 UN International Day for the Aged, Mr. Mahama described as insensitive
00:27 government's decision to pass on the cost of renal treatment to patients.
00:32 "April last week when an upward adjustment in the cost of dialysis
00:37 services at the Kolibu teaching hospital from the initial 380 cities to
00:43 765 cities was announced. Many including patients expressed disappointment with
00:50 that increment. The hospital management initially blamed the upward adjustment
00:54 on taxes and import duties on medications and kits for the dialysis
00:59 service. The new prices were however suspended following public backlash.
01:04 Former President John Rahman Mahama speaking at the Aged conference
01:08 organized by the Los Abuelos Foundation called on government to exempt
01:12 medication and kits for the dialysis services from the payment of taxes and
01:17 other duties.
01:19 The US will do an upward when the nation's premier teaching hospital, Kolibu, announced an increase in charges for dialysis treatment by 100%.
01:26 This was threatening to put the cost of dialysis treatment out of the reach of many patients and their families.
01:34 The explanation I have read from the Kolibu teaching hospital cites the increase in taxes and duties of materials for dialysis treatment as the main reason for their decision to hike the price.
01:46 As an immediate measure, I call on the government to exempt medication and kits for dialysis treatment from taxes and duties to maintain this critical lifeline for patients whose survival depends on this treatment.
02:06 The government should not be insensitive by passing on catastrophic health care costs onto the people with life-threatening diseases, especially the elderly.
02:15 On the government's debt exchange program, the former president described the inclusion of pensioners as "cruel".
02:22 Eleven elderly were sent to rural staff by the government in the retirement income securities of the elderly due to the domestic debt exchange.
02:33 I'm sure you've all seen some of our elderly pensioners picketing the Ministry of Finance because the little local fuel they got, they went and put it into government bonds.
02:43 And all over the world, government bonds are supposed to be the safest investment that one can make.
02:49 Because governments normally don't default on their debts.
02:54 And so this is a noble thing.
02:56 I mean, the trust that our pensioners had when they put their small, inside bonds today, they are suffering because of that.
03:04 National Secretary for the Ghana Government Pensioners Association, Sergio Christ, bemoaned the meagre pension benefit some of their members receive every month.
03:14 The government must enhance the debt-worth pay of ordinary workers. Ordinary workers. Not MTs, managing directors. Not directors. Not MPs. Not presidents.
03:34 They are taking enough already in order to reflect handsomely in their retirement pay when they come of retirement.
03:47 In fact, some retirement benefits are too meagre to write home about.
03:55 I have some members in my organization who take 40 Ghana City cement. Imagine that. 40 Ghana City cement.
04:07 Some people are taking more than they can carry.
04:09 The first Ageing Conference was organized by the Los Abuelos Foundation, a non-governmental organization which champions the welfare and rights of the aging population who suffer from abject poverty and various degrees of deprivation.
04:24 They are a group of people who are committed to advocacy, research, humanitarian intervention and programs.
04:30 Eunice Aban Asare is the Chief Executive Officer of the Los Abuelos Foundation.
04:36 The 1st of October on the UN calendar is set aside to celebrate the significant contribution of older persons to national development and also to the community and the families as a whole.
04:50 Today being the 1st of October, usually as a foundation, we try to commemorate this day by putting together a set of activities just as you are witnessing today to honor our heroes, our senior citizens.
05:03 What you are witnessing today is the first Ghana Aging Summit to commemorate this year's 2023 United Nations International Day for Older Persons.
05:15 And as you got to know, the theme is fulfilling the promises of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for older persons across all generations.
05:30 In our next story, officials of the Electoral Commission in the Tichiman municipality of the Bono East region are hopeful that the number of persons queuing to meet the deadline for the ongoing limited registration exercise will be captured.
05:42 Chairperson for the area, William Bampo Apori Bampo, described the exercise as peaceful and Asa Abed has been monitoring the situation and filed this report.
05:53 The ongoing limited voter registration exercise ends today. We've been monitoring the exercise from day one. Today is the 21st day and we are back here at the Tichiman South constituency EC office to monitor the final proceedings as far as this exercise is concerned.
06:10 We've been speaking with the acting constituency EC chairperson, the person of Mr. William Apori and here is what he's been telling us in relation to the conduct of the exercise from day one to date.
06:22 The process has been very smooth. We've had a wonderful 20 days of exercise and today being the last day, you can see for yourself the number of people here. So far we've been able to do about 5,780 registrations. So that is to say that we have been able to, I mean, up our game, push harder to ensure that whoever comes to get registered, gets registered.
06:49 On top of this exercise, you know, various political parties have been coming in and out of this particular premises. How cooperative have they been so far as this exercise is concerned? Mr. William Apori tells me that they've been very cooperative and likely the exercise has been very smooth.
07:07 Honestly, these political parties have been very cooperative. They understood the rule of the game and we all played together by it. Regardless of the circumstances, we get to review the rules here and there, but at the end of the day, we always get to a consensus. So they have been very wonderful.
07:26 Ghanaians naturally have this attitude of last minute responses. Today we've seen the numbers swelling here. A lot of people are coming in to find ways and means of registering. To the EC boss here, what is his response to this particular attitude where people have to wait until the final minutes before they come in to get themselves registered?
07:51 I would say on authority that my guys are on the ground and together we are trying to ensure that we get everybody registered. Regardless of the circumstances, I'm sure probably management will offer us the opportunity to consider persons who will be in the queue before 5 p.m. And once that approval is given us, surely tomorrow in the morning, by noontime, we should be able to get everybody cleared.
08:17 One of the major challenges the commission has been able to go through has to do with people attempting to double register. People who have already registered elsewhere are trying to get into the system again. But fortunately for the commission, the online registration system has been able to fish out such personalities. And as of the close of yesterday, 95 persons have attempted to double register here in the Teteman South constituency.
08:45 The challenge we have as a Teteman municipal office of the electoral commission has to do with persons attempting to do multiple registration. When you interview further, you also get to realize that others really know exactly they have registered.
09:04 But then they come in to have their names changed, thinking they can bypass the system. But little do they know that our system is online. And so running an online system has really helped us to be able to identify about 95 persons as of yesterday who attempted double registration.
09:30 20 days into the exercise, the commission has been able to register some 5,780 persons. And this is made up of 2,955 males and 2,825 females, with about 1,692 of them registering with their Ghana cast.
09:51 By the close of today, the EC is expecting a rise in the numbers to at least some 6,000 across the Teteman South constituency. From the EC office here in the Teteman municipality of the Bono East region, my name is Anas Sabit reporting for JOY News.
10:07 Now, the houseboy who allegedly murdered his employer at a parcel near Sokoban in the Ashanti region has pleaded guilty to stealing more than 167 Ghana CDs, 1,000 Ghana CDs from a hotel owner while working as a receptionist.
10:24 John Allister, 22, made headlines last month for allegedly stabbing to death his employer six days after he got employed by 35-year-old Stella Osei, also known as Princess Ifua Ahinka.
10:37 With the help of accomplices, he sold his madam's Kia Sportage vehicle after bolting with bags of rice cooking oil and other assorted items.
10:46 Our Hibin Tewe filed this report.
10:49 According to prosecution led by ASP Stephen Ofori, the accused in 2022 was employed as a hotel receptionist at Bantama after he followed up on an advertisement for a vacancy.
11:01 But after a month of working with the complainant, who is also the owner of the hotel, Allister, surprisingly, stopped going to work.
11:09 In July 2023, the accused person returned to the complainant for the second time to seek employment. The complainant allowed him to start work immediately because of his previous working relationship.
11:22 On August 6, 2023, the complainant gave her Infinix Note 8 mobile phone to the accused person to help her with some settings.
11:31 The accused person, however, bolted with the mobile phone and went ahead to withdraw an amount of $167,660 from the complainant's Apsa Bank account using the mobile app on the phone.
11:45 The complainant reported the matter to the police for investigations and the accused person was arrested from his hideout in Accra.
11:53 ASP Stephen Ofori told the Absoquia Circuit Court, presided by her owner, Vida Yeboah, Allister admitted the offense and told police investigators how he spent the amount by using part of the money to rent and furnish an apartment.
12:09 The court, however, deferred sentence to Friday, October 6, 2023, after the accused person pleaded guilty.
12:17 Lead prosecutor ASP Ofori is happy at the development.
12:21 He has been in Kumasi here with the same pretension to work as a receptionist for one Madam Gloria.
12:28 In the process, that's last year July, and then I accessed the phone and I was able to withdraw $167,660 from the woman's account at Apsa Bank.
12:38 So that was the case that we have brought him before the Asoquia Circuit Court here today.
12:42 But he has pleaded guilty. He has now been convicted of the offense, the two counts, the mobile phone and the amount of their money.
12:49 But the sentence has been deferred to Friday for sentence.
12:53 As the facts being read to the court there, there's no way he could deny the charge.
12:58 So he himself thought it wise to admit his guilt in order not to waste the prosecution's time.
13:03 Meanwhile, Allister is expected to reappear before the Asoquia-Mampong District Court this Tuesday on medal charges for the second time after being remanded into police custody.
13:14 From Kumasi, for JOY News, Oyeme Interior, reporting.
13:19 Now details have emerged that the 20 lives were lost from an accident that happened between Piki Jibu and Piki Adjoko last Wednesday.
13:28 The accident occurred when a bus collided with a minivan, resulting in the death and injury of some passengers on board.
13:35 Here's Peter Senu's report.
13:37 Two passenger vehicles, a Toyota Hays with registration number GT 1865-17, traveling from Uawe to Madina in Accra, and a Kia Grand Bed bus with registration number AS9801-21 from Accra to Chindori,
13:56 in the Kraton-Chumru District in the Oti region, were involved in the accident at about 10.30 a.m. last Wednesday morning.
14:03 JOY News police sources indicate that 20 people perished in the accident.
14:08 Of the 20, were four children aged between 7 months and 11 years. Ten females and six male adults were also involved.
14:18 27 persons also suffered various degrees of injuries made up of 24 adults and three children.
14:25 The only person who died on board a Kia Grand Bed bus was identified as the driver's mate.
14:31 Sadder to note is that only two persons survived on board the Toyota Hays. They include the driver and a three-year-old boy.
14:40 Joining sources indicate that the course of the accident is not yet known as the two drivers are providing contrary accounts with each of them trying to apportion blame to the other.
14:52 Also worth reporting is a worrying situation where a man identified as the police commander for the Peki area ordering for the seizure of my camera for taking shots of the accident scene.
15:04 The commander in the blue t-shirt is seen pointing at me and ordering this community police to come and take my camera from me.
15:21 You can't seize the camera. I'm a journalist. No, you can't do that.
15:26 No, no, if you spoil it you'll buy it. Please, don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it.
15:33 Look, this is my... Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't force it. Don't do it. No, no, no, no, no, no.
15:39 No, no, no. Please, if you spoil it you'll buy it.
15:43 No, no, please wait.
15:45 This incident got my journey truncated and delayed by the police for at least an hour before the camera was released to me.
15:53 How I moved on from the accident scene to Kumasi is another story for a different day.
16:00 Peter Senu for Joy News.
16:03 That's the note on which we cap off the AM news this morning. Up next, the news review. Do stay.
16:14 [Music]