The National Democratic Congress’s Communications Officer has reacted angrily to the Ghana Health Service’s (GHS) decision to make vaccination mandatory for all travelers leaving and entering the country.
Sammy Gyamfi expressed his disgust on Facebook, writing, “Vaccination must be choice, not by force.”
The GHS announced some changes to its regulations for international travel via Kotoka International Airport on Thursday, December 9.
Following Omicron, any persons 18 years and older coming in Ghana after December 12 must present confirmation of complete immunization, according to the Service.
Mr. Gyamfi, on the other hand, said on Monday that the decree is a violation of the 1992 Constitution.
As a result, he vowed to utilize whatever legal means available to oppose the “madness, no matter the cost or stigma.”
He went on to say that his stance is purely his own, and not that of any entity he is a part of or represents.
Meanwhile, Kwame Sarpong Asiedu, a Pharmacist and Research Fellow at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has indicated that mandatory vaccination is allowed under state law.
Dr. Sarpong Asiedu claimed, using Ghana’s Public Health Act 2012 (851), that the government has the authority to make broad choices for the public (in terms of health and compulsory vaccination), as long as it is not harmful to the health of (any) person.
Under this Act, “there’s a clause on public vaccination and compulsory vaccination. It looks like even under our laws, mandatory vaccination is legal as long as the legal instrument is enforced,” he said.
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SOURCE: myjoyonline
