Mahama to redeploy the abandoned Onuador mobile clinic vans

The hallmark of every great leader is to live beyond time and able to predict into the future in order to make the right interventions.

For instance, our Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, first president of our beautiful country, accurately predicted how European former colonisers would manipulate newly independent countries through disadvantageous aid and trade relations, and started working towards it. That is exactly what African countries are experiencing after more than half a century of his ousting out of power. How we had wished he stayed a bit longer in power to achieve his dreams for Ghana and Africa!

And I am seeing some predictive traits of Nkrumah in H.E. John Mahama. But for his foresight of building medical facilities such as the University of Ghana Medical Centre and others, COVID-19 may have caused more havoc in our country than we witnessed.

He also saw the need to deploy mobile clinics and medical teams to reach people who are cut off from access to health services and this is the reason why he launched the National Medical Outreach Programme in 2015 which involved the deployment of mobile medical vans known as "Onuador" a term in Twi which means brotherly or sisterly love.

In fact, "Onuador" could be termed as a "moving hospital" designed to handle emergencies such as epidemics, pandemics, wars, as well as treating isolated and vulnerable groups and newly displaced populations. It has the capacity to handle health services in dental care, eye and ophthalmic care, mammography, audiology assessments, general medicine, etc.

Interestingly and bizarrely, "Onuador" medical outreach vans have been parked and are rotting away since it was launched. At a press conference on Tuesday, 28 January 2020, the Minority group in the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana appealed to the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-led government to use them for the purpose for which they were procured but that fell on deaf ears.

Former President John Mahama, the 2024 presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress has made a promise to put back into use the Onuador mobile clinic vans to provide essential medical services to the people of Ghana if elected the next president.

Mahama also pledged to invest in more mobile clinics and healthcare facilities in remote areas to ensure that no one is left behind when it comes to healthcare access. He stressed the need for a comprehensive healthcare system that reaches every corner of the country, regardless of geographical location or socioeconomic status.

Anthony Obeng Afrane