Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia @60: A  Rare Gem Worth Celebrating Everyday

By Alhaji Salifu Hadara

Today, Saturday, 7th October marks the 60th birthday of the ever affable, dedicated, committed, hard working and brilliant Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, *H. E. Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.* He was born on 7th October, 1963 in Tamale, Northern Region to the late chief, lawyer and politician - *Kpe-Naa Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia* and *Hajia Mariama Bawumia* . He is a native and royal of Mamprugu. His birthday is a day worth cerebrating by his families, friends, sympathizers, supporters, loyalists, delegates, and many people across the world. He is a personality that the people of Ghana who have benefited immensely from his initiatives celebrate everyday. 

Dr. Bawumia diligently served the people of Ghana when he was at the Central Bank of Ghana. The then government under the leadership of H. E. J. A. Kufuor tapped into his talents by assigning him to actively partake in various developmental policies, programs, projects, etc whiles at the Bank of Ghana. It was through his impressive work that made former President Kufuor to appoint him as a Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana. What is popular now and we can easily remember Dr. Bawumia's excellent work at the Bank of Ghana is the re-denomination of the Ghana Cedi. So, if you are comfortably pocketing a Ghs100 note today, celebrate Dr. Bawumia because it was discomforting moving with One Million Old Ghana Cedis, now equivalent to a simple to pocket Ghs100.

The extra-ordinary Dr. Bawumia who makes complex things simple is celebrated everyday and he will continue to be celebrated so far as National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Card online renewal is concerned. Subscribers used to struggle to renew their NHIS Cards at the various National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) offices across the country. Dr. Bawumia with that singular initiative of online renewal of the NHIS card has brought a great relief to our poor mothers and sisters who experienced excruciating pain of having to sleep for days at the offices of NHIA, at the mercy of the whether and other hazardous threats. It has definitely reduced cost, time, stress, delay in accessing health care, among others. I can remember the joy on the face of one of my numerous wives (grandmothers) in Bongbini when I went home sometime ago and I was approached to check the status of her NHIS card. I checked it and it was expired. I told them it was expired but within some few minutes it was renewed through my phone via mobile money. I told them I had renewed it, so they could go to the hospital. Apparently, they were waiting for a bus to board to Nalerigu for health care service at Baptist Medical Center (BMC) and fortunately they met me. They were extremely excited because they would not go to Gambaga, the Municipal Capital to renew the card. The beneficiaries of this initiative including my wife (grandma) celebrate Dr. Bawumia everyday and the celebrations are unabated. Kindly note that, an individual can now do self registration of NHIS CARD electronically as a new registrant. When you link your Ghana card to your NHIS card, you can use the Ghana card to access health care service without the NHIS card. Yes, that is the power of digitalization. 

Undoubtedly, Zipline Medical Drone Delivery Services in Ghana is synonymous with Dr. Bawumia. Many were those who never believed such an initiative was feasible and the man with a mindset full of possibilities said it was possible and true to his words it has come to stay. Dr. Bawumia is celebrated everyday by the numerous patients at the hard-to-reach areas and the various CHPS compounds and health centers across the country who access quality and readily available health care due to the supplies of blood products, vaccines and lifesaving medicine by the Zipline Medical Drone Delivery Services to the various health facilities. The good people of Bongbini, Gbangu, Namiyala, Nayoku and Bantambari celebrate Dr. Bawumia everyday, because, the drone supplies drugs and vaccines to the Ghangu CHPS compound where all these communities access their primary health care. This celebration is replicated across the country. 

In order to strengthen and efficiently handle health services referral system in Ghana, Dr. Bawumia said it was possible to increase the available ambulances in the system from the then 50 ambulances to cover every constituency, hence, the one constituency, one ambulance initiative. The good people of Nalerigu / Gambaga Constituency and by extension, the whole of Mamprugu celebrate him everyday because we now have well functioning and easily accessible ambulances for safe and timely referral of our patients to the secondary and tertiary health care institutions for further and prompt management. The three hundred and seven ambulances (307) dotted across the country render services to the people of Ghana and they are grateful to Dr. Bawumia, hence, the reason for his celebration everyday. 

At long last, the government hospitals in Ghana are now paperless. Yes, they are. One does not need to hold a folder around in order to access health care in the various government hospitals where the paperless system is in place. The era of health staff inability to find your folder thereby leading to loss of your medical history or records is over. The era of holding many hospitals cards is over because with one OPD identification card number (LHIMS NUMBER), you can access health care everywhere in Ghana. Referral of patients has become very simple and medical records of clients at the referring hospital can be accessed at the receiving facility electronically if the need be. Dr. Bawumia, Dr. Digital is the brain behind this milestone in electronic medical records keeping. He is celebrated by the beneficiaries of this great initiative everyday. 

Do you know that through the initiative of Dr. Bawumia, you can now comfortably sit at your small corner, compare prices of a particular drug at various pharmacy stores nearby and buy it online at a preferred pharmacy store for it to be delivered to you conveniently in Ghana? This is E - Pharmacy initiative for you. Its beneficiaries are celebrating Dr. Bawumia on daily basis. 

Children who are having cancers and sick cell diseases and their parents or guardians are celebrating Dr. Bawumia everyday for the initiative of inclusion of hydroxyurea into the NHIS. Hydroxyurea is a very important drug used in managing children with sick cell diseases and treatment of some particular childhood cancers. In announcing the decision to include hydroxyurea into the NHIS, Dr. Bawumia delivered this touching message "our children’s present and future can only be secured if all the factors that threaten their existence and quality of life are eliminated. We are determined to make it happen and we should not relent,” 

In conclusion, from the catalogue of excellent and heart-warming initiatives championed by Dr. Bawumia and among others, it is only proper and fair to say that this rare gem is worth celebrating everyday. Obviously and rightly so, he is being celebrated everyday if not every second, considering the impact he has made and continue to make on society. Mamprugu and Naa Gbewaa Zulya are proud to have Dr. Bawumia as their  illustrious son of the Kingdom and family who is touching the lives of Ghanaians through these initiatives. I wish to join many well-wishers across the world to wish *H. E. Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia* a Happy Glorious Birthday. May Allah grant his heart desires. It is possible In Shaa Allah 

Thank you

Alhaji Salifu Hadara

A Citizen of Mamprugu

North East Region

salifuhadara21@gmail.com

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