The Minority in Parliament has taken government to task for the shortage of some children’s vaccines in the country and the seeming lack of interest to replenish the stock.
According to the Minority, the fact that after four clear months when the shortage was first announced, the government has done nothing proactive to address the situation is worrying.
Ranking member of the Health Committee in Parliament, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, who addressed the media in Parliament over the matter painted a dire picture of the country’s ability to acquire vaccines with the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI) threatening to withdraw its support.
He argued the situation is very sensitive because these vaccines are not sold over the counter for individual parents to acquire them for their children and stressed the Minority expects the Health Minister to announce it has taken delivery of the vaccines and has started its distribution.
Mr. Akandoh stated it is even a crime in some jurisdictions to sit aloof and allow the shortages of vaccines and then look on unconcerned as vulnerable children are get infected with diseases that can easily be prevented.
He disclosed the country uses two main ways of financing its vaccine acquisitions and that out of about 13 of these essential vaccines, GAVI is co-financing about 10 and lamented the government is defaulting in the payment of the three vaccines.
“GAVI believes the children cannot be punished because of the sins of politicians such as President Akufo-Addo, Vice President Bawumia and Health Minister Kweku Agyeman-Manu.
“So even though we owe, GAVI is still supplying those 10 vaccines. We as a country are supposed to, 100% procure about three that includes vaccines for tetanus, polio and measles and yet with these three we are still defaulting”, Mr. Akandoh stated.
The Ranking Member disclosed that GAVI is considering withdrawing completely from its co-financing arrangement and quizzed, “So if we cannot finance only three of them and GAVI is considering withdrawing because we claim we are at a middle income status, if we cannot finance only three and GAVI withdraws we will be in deep troubles.”
According to him, an amount of GH¢72 million was approved in 2022 by Parliament for the procurement of vaccines as part of the allocation of the National Health Insurance Fund.
The Authority, he said, confirmed to the Health Committee at a meeting that they have released the GH¢72 million allocation for the vaccines in four tranches with the last done in December 2022.
“It beats my imagination that after the release of the money, there are shortages of vaccines in the country. We started recording missiles in this country around October 2022, four clear months ago.
“This is an emergency situation and a clear failure of the government and the Minister who have looked on unconcerned for four months and we still don’t have vaccines in our system, and this is unpardonable”, he lamented.
Mr. Akandoh raised alarm that the instability in neighbouring Burkina Faso has pushed women with young children into Ghana’s territory who may not have been immunized posing yet another challenge to the Ghana health sector.
The situation, he said, is dire urged the government to do the needful and stressed this matter should not be swept under the carpet.
Minister of Health, Kweku Agyeman-Manu was expected to respond to a parliamentary question on the shortage of vaccines in the country but this had to be suspended due to the President’s State of the Nation address, which require the House to adjourn early for the Chamber of Parliament to be prepared for the event.
