According to the Minority in Parliament, the country’s vaccine shortage is a clear indication of the government’s incompetence.
According to the group, despite an allocation of approximately GH72 million for vaccine procurement, the country has been hit with a Measles outbreak since October 2022 due to vaccine shortages.
Speaking to journalists, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Health Committee, stated that the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, must resign if he is unable to effectively carry out his mandate.
“We started recording measles vaccine shortages around October 2022 and this is an emergency situation the minister and the government have failed and continue to look on several months on.
“This is highly unacceptable especially when these vaccines are not over-the-counter medicines that people can walk in and buy them. These vaccines are very sensitive and highly protected by organizations and states, so if we don’t have them, all of the children in this country are at risk, particularly in the north.”
Mr. Akandoh went on to say that the shortages are “unforgivable because we are supposed to plan ahead in terms of vaccine procurement and deployment.”
In other news, the Speaker excused the Health Minister from appearing before Parliament on Tuesday, March 7 to answer questions about vaccine shortages.
This is the second time Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang-Manu has failed to appear before the House, having failed to appear on February 28.
