Minority issues a 24-hour ultimatum to gov’t to clear Global Fund drugs stuck at Tema port

 

A minority in Parliament has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the government to clear the Global Fund drugs stuck at the Tema port for more than a year.

The Global Fund for Community Foundation donated these medical supplies to Ghana free of charge, however, it has taken Ghana’s government and the Ministry of Health more than a year to clear the life-saving commodities.

Disturbingly, a huge chunk of the commodities is expected to expire by the first quarter of 2025, if not cleared immediately for use by patients.

Moreover, the Global Fund has warned that it will cut supply to Ghana if the commodities are not cleared immediately.

The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, cleared 14 of the containers in April, leaving more than 118. The Ministry said it needed GHC7 million to clear the containers.

However, the Ranking Member of the Health Committee in Parliament, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, addressing journalists on Wednesday, June 12, emphasised the strained relationship Ghana would have with the donors if the government delays in clearing the drugs.

“It is quite disheartening to hear that foreign donors put huge sums of money together and decide to give us grants, They buy drugs for Ghana; they are transported from their country of origin to Ghana, and these drugs are kept at our port for more than a year without clearing them to put to good use to the benefit of the citizens.

“These drugs have lifespan and some of them are expiring.I knew that this government is irresponsible but I didn’t know this level of irresponsibility,” the Juaboso lawmaker said.

“In the 2023 National Health Insurance formula, an allocation of not less than GHC80 million was made to that effect. why can’t we waive taxes and duties on medication to save the lives of people? We expect that within the next 24 hours, we must hear something positive with regards to clearing the containers containing drugs from the port,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Ernest Ortsin, Interim Chairman of the Global Fund Community, has expressed grave concerns about the government’s lack of interest in clearing essential medical commodities for tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS and malaria treatment stuck at the port.

He described the continuous delay in clearing the remaining over 118 containers of the commodities as “deliberate and intentional,” with no end in sight.