THE HEALTH status of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flag bearer, Prof John Evans Atta Mills has taken another dimension. The former Vice President has been flown out by the party for an overdue medical review in South Africa. The deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Baba Jamal in a statement, said the party’s flag bearer was off to South Africa for what he described as “routine medical check-up”. Some insiders are however raising eyebrows about the trip, saying if it was a mere sinus problem the man could be attended to locally. The law professor’s flight to South Africa last Thursday night comes on the heels of a well- packaged media rebuttal about his infirmity which he embarked upon shortly after his victory at the party's congress in Accra. The rebuttal of the former vice president was occasioned by mammoth media reportage about his health status before and after the flagbearership campaign of the NDC. Some of his competitors were even mentioned as being behind some of the rumours raised about his failing health. In spite of his spirited fight to debunk the rising concerns about his failing health, it is becoming clear, especially from the South African trip that all is not well with the NDC flag bearer. Prof Mills, whose search for medication for what he says is a sinus ailment first took him to China, from where he moved to South Africa. He reportedly told a radio station when he returned to Ghana after the South African treatment that he had to be transferred from China because he could not understand Mandarin, a Chinese language. Daily Guide has reliably learnt that Prof Mills whose review was due about the time the party’s congress was to take place, was impressed upon to put the trip on hold because of the possible slant that his competitors could put on it. He obliged and stayed on to slug it out with his competitors during the electoral duel which saw him beat his competitors. Even after his victory, the law professor could not fly out almost immediately, as his handlers felt there was the need for him to stay around to put up a show of “no problem” about his health. His recent press conference at the NDC headquarters during which he rubbished President John Agyekum Kufuor, is thought to be one of the shows intended to send the desired signal to those worried about the failing health of the flag bearer. Someone described the press conference as a dust- throwing exercise to create the erroneous impression that the former vice president was hale and hearty. Former Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) No. 2 man, Boakye Djan who flew into the country could also not conceal his worry about the NDC flag- bearer’s health when he too joined the fray and demanded to know whether all was indeed well with the man. Some NDC insiders are beginning to itch for a snap congress to pick a healthy person to replace what they think is an ailing Prof Mills. Their position is however not shared by members of the Mills campaign team who it appears are ready to put up a fight of their lives to keep their man afloat on the political waters. Not even the recently-retired UN Chief, Mr. Kofi Annan was spared the thorny subject of the professor’s health. When he visited Castle for the reception organised in honour of Mr. Annan, Prof Mills broached the subject and told him that he drank only water and took no drugs. This was in his obvious bid to put up a semblance of good health During his rebuttal of reports that he was not in the best of shapes, Prof Mills took a swipe at those he claimed were peddling the story, saying those who wanted him to be indisposed would not succeed because he was destined to rule Ghana. “Clearly, there are those who don’t want Atta Mills to stand, but Atta Mills will stand and win,!” he asserted. He even fingered members of the Spio Garbrah campaign team as being responsible for what he saw as lies about his health. “I don’t want to use strong words because that is not my nature, but I think the editor (Vanguard) owes me an apology. I mean, what investigations has he made? I think we are carrying this thing too far,” he had charged on a radio station. He added that his reported trip to South Africa could have been misconstrued, as it was only a health check-up, not surgery as claimed by the newspaper he was reacting to. He continued, “1 will invite the editor to come with his doctors to examine me. I’m prepared to do that in public to see whether my heart beat has gone down or not. I think it is too much,” he fumed. Now that the Prof has finally leaped to South Africa for a review of his sinus problem, it does seem that his adversaries would not let go their fight to have the status quo changed. This in the face of a defensive Mills campaign) team; would present a scathing battle between the two opposing camps unless a sort of truce is brokered. Daily Guide