Health tourism, also known as medical tourism, refers to the practice of traveling abroad to receive medical treatment. Many individuals, both young and old, who have encountered health challenges that are difficult to cure locally or for which remedies are not available, choose to travel outside their home country to seek medical assistance. They often journey to countries such as India, South Africa, the United States of America, Canada, and Germany for medical treatment. The financial impact of these travels for medical care cannot be overstated. Despite the significant costs involved, the unavailability of certain treatments locally compels individuals to go to great lengths to afford these journeys.
While our compatriots spend considerable amounts of money on the “health tourism” I mentioned earlier, there is another form of tourism that is far from pleasant. This type of tourism, which I refer to as “beggar tourism,” involves individuals traveling from their home countries to others with the purpose of begging or seeking alms. These individuals often come from war-torn regions and countries struggling with famine and extreme poverty. Many of these “beggar tourism” migrants originate from the Maghreb region of the African continent and travel to countries on the West Coast of Africa in search of the “greener pastures” that our youth often seek in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and other destinations.
These “beggar tourists” are drawn to our country due to the proverbial Ghanaian hospitality, compassion, religiosity, and the sense of giving and caring for strangers. They find our nation to be a very conducive, fertile, and friendly place to engage in “beggar tourism.” Unlike “health tourism,” which yields significant benefits to the businesses and economies of the countries people visit for medical treatment, “beggar tourism” carries numerous hidden dangers that must be critically examined by the managers of our security architecture, lest we risk facing serious dangers in the future.
“Beggar tourism” is becoming increasingly prevalent in Ghana, and it is imperative that we act promptly to address this issue. A brief observation of the city of Accra, in particular, presents a distressing sight of foreign beggars stationed at strategic locations, particularly around bustling traffic intersections, soliciting alms. This group of beggars, unlike the traditional indigenous poor or disabled beggars, has mastered the art of begging on our main streets, often utilizing their young children, some as young as one or two years old, to request alms from drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. Their children can be seen tugging at the hands of people on the streets to ask for money, which can be quite embarrassing for passersby. Describing their presence on our streets as merely a nuisance is a considerable understatement, considering the hazards they pose on these busy thoroughfares. It is crucial that we take action to address this growing concern.
In addition to the significant security risks posed by these “tourist beggars,” such as accidents, robberies, and petty theft, they also present a grave danger to road users and the general population, which may only be evident to those with trained eyes. For instance, many of them enter our country through unauthorized routes, and given the volatile nature of their countries of origin, there is a high likelihood that they might smuggle arms into our country for self-sustainment, sell them to criminal gangs, or use them to commit crimes themselves.
Despite having signed various protocols at the highest international level, as well as within the regional and sub-regional bodies of the African Union and ECOWAS, to protect and respect the rights of such migrants, it is crucial that our security apparatus begins to closely monitor the activities of these “tourist beggars” to minimize the risks they pose to our people.
The dangers presented by these groups of migrant “tourist beggars” extend far beyond the issues previously highlighted, including serious crimes such as hijacking, kidnapping, assassination, and even terrorism. It is imperative that our security agencies initiate a thorough examination of the activities of these “beggar tourists,” who do not contribute substantively to our country’s economy but rather serve as a conduit for threats and a burden to the sustenance of our peace and security. We must explore the option of monitoring and blocking their entry routes, if feasible, or commence the process of registering and repatriating them to their countries of origin. With their numbers increasing by the minute, every instance of new arrivals in our country to partake in this “beggar tourism” only compounds the existing danger. We must take decisive action against “beggar tourism” promptly, or face the consequences in the future.
Abdul Hanan Mohammed EL-Saeed
Panacin@gmail.com
0244087295
panacin@gmail.com
K414, Ward K
Tamale
