Despite reservations over the expense, Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has defended the government’s purchase of Sputnik-V vaccinations.
Following its decision to employ intermediaries to get nearly three million Sputnik-V vaccinations for $19 instead of $10 on the international market, the government has come under fire.
The Minister of Health has also been chastised for the purchase, with the Minority threatening to bring him before Parliament for obtaining vaccinations at an inflated price.
Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Member of Parliament for Juaboso in the Western North Region and the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee, said action would be taken because the Ministry’s justification for securing the vaccines at an above-market price is unacceptable and difficult to believe.
Mr. Agyeman-Manu, who was speaking publicly for the first time on the subject, said Ghana had no option but to purchase the vaccinations at an exorbitant price.
The acquisition was made in response to the second wave of COVID-19, which had already claimed many lives, according to the Minister, who was speaking at the opening of the Pest and Vector Control Association of Ghana in Accra.
“I had an obligation to try to see how we can arrive at our herd immunity. When we started looking for vaccines to procure, intermediaries were not part of our agenda. We were looking at what we will get from COVAX. We could not have waited between March and August because we were in the second wave, and we were dying more than when we had the disease in 2020.”
“Basic economics will tell you that in terms of scarcity, the market is the suppliers’ market. He or she dictates the price, not the buyer. I am surprised. We all learned these things at O-level, so why should I be a subject of ridicule?”he asked.
Sack Agyeman-Manu
Since the acquisition became public knowledge, there have been demands for Mr. Agyeman-Manu to be fired.
Martin Kpebu, a private legal practitioner, claims that the Minister acted irresponsibly in the acquisition of the Sputnik V vaccine for the national immunization campaign.
He said that the President should at the very least fire him.
“He should be aware that Ghanaians are quite watchful; thus, I believe the Health Minister has been too careless in this case, and the least the President can do is fire him. The President should know that we are furious with the Health Minister’s actions; he has shown no caution and has showed no sensitivity to how Ghanaians respond to financial issues.”
Source: ATLFMNEWSROOM
