Mr. Ahiagbah, The Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was involved in a serious accident on Saturday, July 27, while traveling to Kumasi for a party event after his discharge, shared this on social media:
"Fighting to hold on to dear life at KATH has been very frightening and painful. But through it all, I have learned firsthand the extreme deficiencies and prospects of Ghana’s healthcare delivery system. From this experience will arise a Turning Point Foundation to promote a people-centered, outcome-driven health policy regime in Ghana. May God bless and deliver us all from evil."
The statement of Mr. Ahiagbah following his discharge from the second biggest hospital of Ghana, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) seems to suggest that he has never lived in Ghana and just came in from Europe or America. And therefore, he has never personally experienced or witnessed any of his loved one go through our main healthcare system.
The NPP Communication Director sounded like an American or European tourist who visited Ghana for the first time and happened to experience the Ghanaian healthcare delivery after an unfortunate accident.
Such an American tourist would not have expressed his view the way Mr. Ahiagbah did. This is because most tourist before traveling to countries such as Ghana do receive adequate information on sensitive issues such as the kind of healthcare system they have.
This is true for the fact that, most of the tourists I encountered here in Ghana were extremely careful about their health because they do not want to be victims of our bad healthcare setup.
It is inhumane and unwise for people to wish bad for someone who had near fatal accident, let alone openly express disappointment over the recovery of the victim.
Sadly, this is the kind of sentiment many Ghanaians express whenever a politician experiences the unfortunate such as accident or death.
The view of Mr. Ahiagbah post discharge from hospital has serious political implication and public interest. I do not want to believe he was ignorant of it since he’s a whole communication director of the ruling party-NPP.
The question many could be asking is, why would he make such statement at the time his party is struggling to convince Ghanaians to retain it in power in barely 4 months’ time?
Could it be that, as he came face to face with death, absolutely nothing matters to him again except the gift of life? Or could it be that he has truly repented and vowed to speak the truth even if it means a fall out with his party and the government?
As we rightly condemn those who wish the worst for Mr. Ahiagbah over his comment, let us recognize also that, the dishonest and insensitive attitude of most Ghanaian politicians is partly to blame for negative perception of the people.
Mr. Ahiagbah, since popping into the political scene as a communication director of the ruling party has defended almost everything that clearly stinks as sweet scented, beautiful and excellent.
Ghanaians have been crying loud about the bad state of the healthcare system for years but politicians like Mr. Ahiagbah always have different view once they get into power.
As an open secret, many of the politicians and family do not patronize the Ghanaian healthcare delivery. They have the taxpayers’ money on hand to fly abroad for better healthcare.
Mr. Ahiagbah and his colleagues of the political class must understand that they may have all the money to go anywhere on earth for quality healthcare and ignore the plight of the Ghanaian healthcare system but, nature has the ability to force them onto any of the Ghanaian hospital wards, where there are no beds, oxygen and many other basic lifesaving equipment for patients.
If all the politicians begin listening and talking like Mr. Richard Ahiagbah even without going through his tragic experience, then they will seek to make the healthcare system a little better and safer for all.
