The Minority in Parliament has demanded an unqualified apology from the Ministry of Health (MoH) for its failure to clear donated antiretroviral drugs at the ports.
The Minority described the Ministry’s excuse for the non-clearance as untenable, saying the Ministry had ample time to prepare the necessary documentation or secure funding warrants for the timely clearance of the essential consumables upon their arrival.
The Minority also took issue with the MoH’s two to three-month delay in taking steps to secure extra funds for clearance, calling it “incompetence of the highest order.”
The Ministry of Health had refuted claims that the delay in clearing antiretroviral drugs at the ports was due to the lack of tax waivers.
It said in a rejoinder on Saturday, October 7, 2023, that the high volumes of the drugs required extra resources and that it was working to secure the necessary funds to clear the drugs by Friday, October 13, 2023.
But the Minority said PLHIV cannot and should not be made to wait beyond October 13, 2023, for drugs that arrived in the country three months ago.
The Minority in a statement signed by Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, said “At this juncture, the least it can do is offer an unqualified apology to Ghanaians for its failure to perform the simple function of clearing donated goods for Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV).”
“As the Minority, we firmly believe that Ghana deserves better, and the excuses must cease” the statement added.
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