I would be grateful if you would publish my rejoinder to a feature article of Thursday August 19th 2010 in Daily Graphic by Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, in which the author attributed certain statements and comments to me. The President's health and mental state ought to be a matter of concern to all Ghanaians and should not be the subject of idle politicking or speculation. This is be­ cause it has, grave consequences for the governance of the country and so in some jurisdictions, it assumes national security proportions. This issue is so critical that thy Constitution of the Republic of Ghana prescribes the qualifications and establishes the eligibility criteria for anyone seeking to occupy the high-office of President. Article 94(2) (b) (ii) states categorically that "a person shall not be qualified to be Member of Parliament if he has been adjudged or otherwise declared to be of unsound mind...” Article 62, which sets out the qualifications of President, states in clause (c) that anyone who aspires to be President must be a person who qualifies to be a Member of Parliament, so he must satisfy the eligibility criteria set out in Article 94, that is, he must be adjudged to be of sound mind. Furthermore, Article 69 states clearly that one of the grounds on which a President can be removed from office is that he is found "to be incapable of per­ forming the functions of his office by reason of infirmity of body or mind" This is what makes the unchallenged assertion by Herbert Mensah that Ato Ahwoi, a close associate and confidante or the President, told him in the run-up to the election that then Candidate "Mills was be­ coming delusional, his mental stability was going and that he was seeing priests (trees")" extremely disturbing (Ref. Radio Gold live interview, 09/06/2010). A witness to this discussion between the two gentlemen also confirmed that Mr. Ahwoi said Mills was "unwell, hallucinating and could not tell where he was" (Ref. pg. 3, Daily Guide 10/06/2010) This is what Dr. Sodzi-Tettey dismisses as 'intra party bickering'. As a doctor I would have expected him to discuss the import and ramifications of this disclosure from the inner echelons of the NDC party instead of descending like a ton of bricks on Sekou Nkrumah and myself. I cannot speak for Sekou, but the only time I discussed this issue extensively was on Net 2 TV and Oman FM on 10th June 2010, and during' the course of the discussion, I expressed my alarm and disquiet about the implications of this revelation, including the possibility of the President himself being impeached as not meeting the eligibility criteria for President. I did not mock the President for poor health as, being human we cart all be susceptible to ill health. I also indicated that it would be necessary for a panel of medical experts to investigate the President's mental state and certify that indeed he is fit mentally and physically, in the light of these revelations, because to leave this issue hanging subjects the entire nation he heads to ridicule. If indeed any doubts exist as to the mental capacity of the President, it exposes all of us to extreme danger, as it will affect the quality or the decisions he takes. I also opined that these doubts may account for the unprecedented serious challenges being launched against the authority of the President from leading members of his own party, (who know more than the rest of us do about his actual state) less than 2 years into his term of office, and that is also undermining his authority to govern. If the handlers of Candidate Mills knew of or were aware of his uncertain mental state prior to the election and went on to foist him on us, then, they also have serious questions to answer. How can these arguments be termed idle speculation about the President's health? Sodzi may be content to trivialize this issue but some of us think it is serious enough to merit much more extensive examination. If the President is not capable of performing the functions of office due to infirmity of body or mind, then who is running this country? Please note that I said 'if', and we would like to be given, some assurances that our President is fine: In other jurisdictions, even the health status of former Presidents and leading citizens is newsworthy and their citizens are given regular updates when they are taken ill. How much more the health of a sitting President? Some doctors in. this country have assumed the status of God, refusing to inform their patients of what is ailing them even when asked, assuming that as lesser beings, we could not be made privy to what is wrong with ourselves as they alone are custodians of that information. Hello! It is the patient's body, not yours and we have a right to know what is wrong with us, just as we have a right to know what is wrong with our President. He is a public figure, the number one citizen and he belongs to the entire nation! We pay his bills. Dr. Sodzi-Tettey goes on further to speculate about the physical state of some of us whom he termed as being critical of the President's health. I would like to inform him that barring the current limitations of medical knowledge, and having had regular medical examinations, including pap smears, I am aware of the state of health of my cervix. Thanks to Prof Naaeder's surgical skills too, I know for a fact that ram not suffering from thyrotoxicosis, so if my eyes look beautifully bold and arresting", that is their true nature, Thank God! If you want to go roaming around mid inspecting, mid disclosing the medical records of all the President's critics, doctor, you need more than 24 hours in a day and make sure you stay on the right side of the law in this quest because information divulged to a medical professional by his patient remains privileged. I also exercise regularly, eat lots of fruit and vegetables, drink loads of water and actively destress. God-willing, these simple measures will enable me live to a ripe old age and die in my bed, if some lunatic doesn't run me over while I am walking, as Sodzi would wish to happen to me! I recommend these measures to all who seek healthier living and the good doctor here will be well advised to conduct more public health campaigns on simple things we can all do to live healthier, happier lives, thereby putting his expertise to the benefit of ordinary Ghanaians and helping reduce our personal and national health budget. This vain attempt to blame Ursula for what NDC stalwarts have said is one of the NDC's classic damage control measures, to deflect attention from the real cause of the problem and blame someone else for their own mess, and unfortunately, Dr. Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, wittingly or unwittingly, has fallen for it. We will not be fooled or have our focus diverted or deflected from the real issues and will continue to say it as it is, so bring it on Sodzi. By: Ursula Owusu, Accra Source: Daily Guide