Kuffour’s Spinal cord

So, John Kuffour, a former Ghanaian president opted not to be treated abroad in some exquisite American or European hospital, but at home, for an ailment as grievous as a spinal trouble. The moral is inescapable:- that the Ghanaian former president reposes so much confidence in the capability of the medical experts in Korle-Bu, so […]

So, John Kuffour, a former Ghanaian president opted not to be treated abroad in some exquisite American or European hospital, but at home, for an ailment as grievous as a spinal trouble. The moral is inescapable:- that the Ghanaian former president reposes so much confidence in the capability of the medical experts in Korle-Bu, so much so that he would decide to entrust himself in their care to restore his ailing spine to health, and this at a time when it is the vogue to seek medical treatment abroad no matter the level of severity of the malady. The Kuffour gesture is nothing if not brave. But beyond that it is recognition that confidence needs to be reposed on the men and women in the medical field upon whom so much money has been expended, both for their training and upkeep.

To be able to do what he had done, Kuffour must have known that he was entrusting himself into the capable hands of an institution that does not lack equipment and whose professionalism is at the cutting edge of medical knowledge. Of course, he must have done his work well enough while he was president to be able to retain the confidence of Korle –Bu, as a tertiary hospital that can handle intricate health matter which, hitherto would have been referred to hospitals in US or Europe. It means while he was president he ensured that Ghanaian hospitals were adequately provided for in terms of facilities, equipment and drugs.

But why is all this being highlighted? Well, the neglect of health facilities in Africa, particularly Nigeria, have resulting to many people-high or low- seeking medical treatment abroad, and President John Kuffour seems to be going against that current, as it were. By submitting himself for treatment at home– after all, he could jolly well raise the money personally or through the government for foreign treatment– he was saying that it would be morally indefensible, having ruled Ghana for almost a decade to now journey outside for medical treatment. If he who was once privileged to rule over Ghana does not demonstrate confidence in Ghanaian institutions, why should anyone expect the ordinary Ghanaian do so?

Ghana has enjoyed some measure of good fortune in being ruled by a succession of very astute and insightful leaders. John Kuffour took over the mantle from J.J Rawlings, who at one time was an angry young flight lieutenant whose fiery left- wing brand of politics made him put to death a number of Ghana’s  military rulers in his first coming to power. He had mellowed down somewhat during his second coming, sufficiently to make him throw away the Marxist jingoism that had characterized his earlier tenure. He had returned Ghana to democratic rule and made himself a civilian president, and in the process laid the foundation for the country’s runaway resurgence that is on -going today.

John Kuffour that took over after defeating J.J Rawlings at the polls brought a certain quiet refinement to governance, marking the coming of age of democracy in Ghana, since he was able to defeat the incumbent, and thereafter proceeded in his unobtrusive manner to deepen its democracy and set it on the course of building virile institutions that have turned it into the envy of many African nations. Thanks to Rawlings, Kuffour and Atta Mills, the economics professor presently at the helms, Ghana has become a Mecca of sort. Nigerians so enamored of foreign treatment have chosen to patronize Ghanaian hospitals both for their excellent health care delivery and proximity, just as many also go to India, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and just about anywhere else seeking succor to their myriad ailments.

It is in the area education; however that Ghana has come to its own, reaping several million dollars from Nigerian parents seeking quality education for their children. Late last year, the Governor of Central Bank, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi put the amount at N155 billion yearly. Every year Nigerian students study hard to be able to pass the entry examination into Ghanaian universities.  On power supply, power failure is a rarity. A few weeks ago the country suffered some three hours of power failure for the first time in three years and it commanded banner headlines in the newspapers. It has therefore been an all encompassing success story which should be interesting to know how it was achieved.

In a sense, therefore, former president John Kuffour’s spinal cord surgery at Korle Bu Hospital may just as well be his way of showing off Ghana’s laudable all round performance. Certainly, it looks surreal to offer oneself, as it were, as sacrificial lamb on the operating table of some otherwise capable, well trained but unsung surgeons, just so to underscore the efficiency and the reliability of intricate medical procedures in the medical practice in Ghana.  But he knew what he was doing, which is drawing attention to the height medicine and by extension other areas of endeavour have attained and the possibilities open to everyone in Ghana of today.

John Kuffour’s statement is unmistakable. To his fellow ruling elite elsewhere he is saying rather than stealing the funds, use them to put in place the necessary all round infrastructure and with the appropriate encouragement watch what wonders would be performed. And when the time comes for body repair, subject yourselves to those you have enabled to do such work and let them do their work to showcase the fact that with the appropriate ingredients the sky is the limit. It is a lesson in transparency and self reliance in governance.