The National Democratic Congress (NDC) says the second term of President John Dramani Mahama would see the construction of 20 polyclinics in Ashanti, Eastern, Volta and Upper East regions.

“We will between 2017 and 2021 complete the construction of 15 Polyclinics in the Greater Accra and Central Regions; continue to equip Polyclinics and District Hospitals, especially in the newly created districts; and continue the construction of the 120-bed Bekwai Hospital in the Ashanti Region,” these are stated in its Election 2016 Manifesto, which was made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

This story forms part of a Ghana News Agency Project, “GNA Tracks Election 2016,” to present the Manifestos of the contesting parties to the electorate.

The Project seeks to create a platform for the dissection of the manifestoes by all stakeholders in the General Election to provide deeper knowledge and understanding of each thematic area to the electorate to enable them to make an informed judgement.

The project is being funded by Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL) the nation’s foremost indigenous oil marketing company and the CIMG 2015 Petroleum Company of the year.

The GNA Tracks Election 2016 project also seeks to sensitise the electorate on the various issues outside the Manifestoes raised by political parties, the elections management body and other governance institutions.

The project also seeks to ensure gender and social inclusion in national politics and to provide a voice for the youth, vulnerable groups, opinion leaders and the broader spectrum of the society, as well as to contribute its quota to the achievement of a Peaceful Poll on December 7.

The NDC says if re-elected President Mahama would continue the construction of Community Health Planning Service (CHPS) Compounds; standardise the CHPS Compounds Operational Zones and Health Centres; and establish a National Infectious Disease Centre.

The next NDC Government would also mainstream mental healthcare into the health delivery system and ensure adequate resourcing and infrastructural development countrywide; and strengthen the partnership with local pharmaceutical companies to make them more efficient, reliable and competitive both locally and internationally.

“We will support bilateral and other exchange programmes for our health personnel to expose them to best practices around the world; extend the on-going free Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) distribution programme to attain the 2005 Abuja target of 60 per cent of children sleeping under insecticide treated nets countrywide by 2020,” according to the Manifesto.

It would also expand the bio-larvicide spraying programme to reduce the incidence of malaria, it says.

It is estimated that about 80 per cent of the world’s population rely on herbal medicine, creating a huge world market for the product.

“Between 2008 and 2013, export of medicinal plants from Ghana increased five-fold from US$8million to approximately US$ 40million, it states. “In the next four years, we will support the large-scale cultivation of medicinal plants for export.”

The Manifesto says the Party would continue to support the manufacture of traditional remedies for diseases; create a permanent body to review the Ghana Herbal Pharmacopoeia on a regular basis; and strengthen regulatory mechanisms to ensure safe, efficacious and efficient administration of herbal medicine.

It would also continue to support the Centre for Research into Plant Medicine, Mampong-Akwapim, and the Centre for Traditional and Herbal Medicine, KNUST.

“We will establish the School of Traditional Medicine at Keta, in addition to the School of Pharmacy, as a satellite campus of the University of Health and Allied Sciences,” it promises.

“We will upgrade existing health facilities located in the following towns along some of the major highways into Accident and Trauma Centres; Sogakope (Volta Region), Anomabo (Central Region), Half-Assini (Western Region), Nkawkaw (Eastern Region), Kintampo (Brong Ahafo Region), Techiman (Brong Ahafo Region), Wa (Upper West Region), Hohoe (Volta Region), Gambia No. 2 (Brong Ahafo Region), and Buipe (Northern Region).

“We will train more doctors in Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) to help in the specialised handling of accident and trauma victims.

“We shall prioritise mental health care and ensure strict implementation of the Mental Health Act 2012 (Act 846) by working with local and international partners to galvanise support for the attainment of the objectives that will drastically improve mental healthcare in Ghana”.

The Manifesto says the NDC would stimulate the training of more psychiatric specialists (doctors and nurses), encourage more psychologists and allied professionals to specialise in Mental Health Care and ensure the mainstreaming of Mental Healthcare in our hospitals.

“We will move the Accra Psychiatric Hospital to Pantang and develop the Pantang Mental Hospital into a first class mental health facility,” it promises. “We will build two additional psychiatric hospitals in Ashanti and the Northern Regions.”

The NDC would continue to be affected by the double burden of communicable and non communicable disease, the Manifesto says.

“While establishing the National Infectious Disease Centre, stepping up campaigns and undertaking activities to improve personal hygiene and sanitation to deal with communicable diseases, we shall also vigorously create national awareness on the need to combat lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and stroke”.

In addition to Physical Education Exercises in schools, we shall promote the establishment of Community Residence Health Teams to encourage regular communal physical exercise, regular drills in Basic Life Support and Health Talks, with the view to inculcating healthy lifestyles in the citizenry, the NDC promises.