President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans by the government to import rechargeable electric wheelchairs for persons with disabilities (PWDs).

He explained that the pilot project was intended to facilitate the mobility of PWDs and said the wheelchairs would be handed over to the National Council on Persons with Disability upon arrival.

The President made the announcement during a citizens’ engagement in Goaso at the end of his two-day Resetting Ghana Tour of the Ahafo Region.

He said the initiative would be replicated annually if the pilot project proved successful.

President Mahama said the allocation from the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) for persons with disabilities had been increased from three per cent to five per cent under his administration.

He also announced that the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715), which seeks to protect and promote the rights of persons with disabilities, would be amended as part of efforts to improve their living conditions.

On health, President Mahama said the government had implemented the Free Primary Healthcare Programme to provide free healthcare services to the public.

He added that the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, also known as MahamaCares, had been established to reduce the financial burden of treating chronic diseases, including cancers and kidney disease requiring dialysis.