Accra, July 18, 2020//-If it were to be normal time, most Ghanaian politicians who are down with the devastating novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) would have sought medical treatments outside the country.
Due to the infectious virus, all borders across the globe have been shut down as parts of containment measures to stop the spread of the disease.
So, the power Ghanaian political leaders cannot hide themselves from the COVID-19 pandemic and its ramifications.
President of Ghana still in isolation
Some world leaders including UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson to Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro are both tested positive for COVID-19.
Luckily, Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is still in his 14-day of self-isolation after getting close to “at least one person within his close circle tested positive for COVID-19.”
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Information Minister who confirmed this in a statement, said on the advice of doctors, the president is from “July 4, 2020, taking a 14-day precautionary self-isolation measure in compliance with COVID-19 protocols.”
Although, some health experts have problem with the use of the term “self-isolation” in the statement, it did not name the member of the president’s inner circle who had tested positive.
However, the statement pointed out that the president himself has tested negative “as at today [July 4]”.That negative test notwithstanding, the statement said, the president “elected to take this measure out of the abundance of caution.”
Ghanaian Politicians who have lost their lives due to COVID-19
Ghanaians from all walks of life could not believe it when the passing of the former General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John was announced in the late hours of 1st July 2020.
He passed away due to complications from the deadly COVID-19 while undergoing treatment at the ICU of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.
Until his death, Sir John was the CEO of the Forestry Commission. He became the CEO of the Forestry Commission in March 2018 after he was appointed to that position by President Akufo-Addo.
Previously, the lawyer cum politician had served as general secretary of the governing party between 2010 and 2014.
The Chief Executive of the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Anthony Kobina Kurentsir Sam was the first governing political elite to have died of COVID-19.
His death occurred on Friday afternoon 12, June 2020 after a short illness believed to be the pandemic. The late Sam passed on in a hospital in Accra where he was receiving medical treatment.
So, so far, two Ghanaian politicians who were both active members of the current government have lost their lives to the pandemic.
Ghanaian politicians infected with COVID-19
Several state institutions including the Ministry of Finance, Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) have shut down due to positive cases recorded by their staff.
At the time of filing this article, a wide range of public officials have tested positive for the coronavirus, but have fortunately recovered.
Among the ministers, Ghana’s health minister, Kwaku Agyeman Manu was the first to contract the pandemic on Tuesday, 9, June 2020. But the news of his infection came out on 13th June because he tried concealing the news from the public.
Dormaa Central MP was receiving treatment at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) in Accra.
Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo: He was tested positive for the virus on July 7, 2020). The disclosure was made in consonance with the government’s transparency and with the permission of Mr Maafo.
The Minister of Information, who made the disclosure said: “In a separate development that has come to us this morning, Senior Minister Yaw Osafo Maafo has been informed that his sample given for test has been returned positive. He will therefore as of today commence treatment for COVID-19 from home…”.
On June 24th, 2020, Ghana’s Minister Education Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, and the Minister of Regional Integration, Dan Botwe, were detained at the UGMC over fears of COVID-19 pandemic.
Their test results were confirmed positive later.
The governing NPP campaign manager for the 2020 general elections, Peter Mac Manu and Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Carlos Ahenkorah were also admitted at the Intensive Care Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital after both tested positive for COVID-19 on 1st July.
But the owes of Mr Ahenkorah were deepened after admitting on an Accra based radio station that on his doctor had told him to self-isolate but he had to visit a registration centre to resolve some issues that had come up.
He insisted that he was very careful when he visited the voter registration centre which is underway nationwide for the compilation of a new register for the 2020 general elections in December.
From (l-r) Mr Manu and Mr Ahenkorah
For breaching the COVID-19 protocols instituted by the government of which he was a deputy, Tema West MP was asked to be sacked by the President Akufo-Addo.
To this end, on July 3rd, Mr Ahenkorah submitted his resignation letter to the President.
Meanwhile, a member of the campaign team of the former Deputy Trade Minister who resigned on Friday 3, July for breaching COVID-19 protocols has died.
He died on Thursday 9, July after he was rushed to the LEKMA Hospital at Teshie in Accra for medical attention.
“The deceased (name withheld), a ward coordinator at Lashibi, was among three members of Mr Ahenkorah’s campaign team in the Tema West Constituency alleged to have tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease,” according local media reports.
While the polling station chairman for Tema Community 5, popularly called Bobo was on admission at Caiquo Hospital, a private facility at Tema. Nana Boakye, another of the Tema West MP campaign team was said to be in self-isolation.
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr Lydia Dsane-Selby, had tested positive for the virus.
Dr Dsane-Selby tested positive for the disease on Sunday, June 14, 2020. Also, the Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Daniel Asare was tested positive for the coronavirus.
From this, it seems the pandemic is increasingly making its way into the echelons of the Ghanaian political elite. At the time of this publication, Ghana has recorded over 26,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 144 deaths.
What does this mean for Ghana?
This means that the pandemic is no respecter of person. So, the current government should emulate the shining example of its predecessor by investing massively in health infrastructure to improve the public health system of the country.
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, African Eye Report
