The United Progressive Party (UPP) has expressed worry about the low level of attention given to the welfare of pensioners in the country saying most retirees were living in abject poverty.
“Retiring does not mean one should go home and suffer till death. It is the responsibility of every nation to prioritise the welfare of the vulnerable by providing them with some basic necessities of life.”
The Chairperson of the party, Mr Kenneth Nana Kwame Asamoah who made these assertions in an interview yesterday, said his outfit was considering setting up affordable housing facilities, specifically for pensioners in efforts to reduce the number of old but homeless persons in the country.
Dubbed “The UPP Senior Home Project”, the initiative, according to the party would go a long way in improving the lives of pensioners in the country as the houses would be constructed across Ghana.
The facilities, he said would also have infirmaries where occupants would receive healthcare when the need arises.
Mr Asamoah indicated that only a few individuals with well paying jobs who were able to afford decent accommodation, adding that lack of proper care for the aged could amount to several unpleasant situations including ill health and even death.
The project, he stressed, would not end up like the ones undertaken by previous governments that never got materialised.
“The UPP will not start and abandon this project like other governments have done with some housing projects.
We are very compassionate about the aged and will do our best to at least offer them a decent place to lay their heads.
The edifices will not be for sale but for rent till the occupant passes on.
A vacancy created will be reserved for the next pensioner.”
Mr Asamoah noted that though the project would accommodate selected individuals who might not necessarily be pensioners, the amount paid would not be the same as what the target group for the project would pay.
He said “All government workers who are still at post, for instance nurses and teachers would also benefit from the initiative. All floors of the building would also have infirmities to provide care for persons sufferings from minor ailments.”
He is therefore calling on all Ghanaians to rally behind the UPP to truely transform the country.
Source: Ayisah Foster, Broadcastergh.com
