Mahama announces plans to import electric wheelchairs for PWDs
President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the government plans to import rechargeable electric wheelchairs to support persons with disabilities (PWDs).
He said the initiative would begin as a pilot project aimed at improving mobility for PWDs, adding that the wheelchairs would be handed over to the National Council on Persons with Disability once they arrive in the country.
The President made the announcement during a citizens’ engagement in Goaso, marking the end of his two-day Resetting Ghana Tour of the Ahafo Region.
He indicated that the initiative would become an annual programme if the pilot phase proved successful.
President Mahama also disclosed that his administration had increased the share of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) allocated to persons with disabilities from three per cent to five per cent.
Additionally, he announced plans to amend the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715), which provides for the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities, as part of efforts to improve their living conditions.
On healthcare, President Mahama said the government had rolled out the Free Primary Healthcare Programme to ensure that members of the public could access healthcare services without charge.
He further noted that the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as MahamaCares, had been established to ease the financial burden on patients receiving treatment for chronic conditions, including cancer and kidney disease requiring dialysis.
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