The Health Minister, Mr. Kwaku Agyemang-Manu is expected to brief Parliament today, March 7, on steps being taken to address the shortage of childhood vaccines in the country.
Several parts of the country have been hit with a shortage of vaccines in the last few months despite claims by the National Health Insurance Authority that over GH¢70 million has been released for the procurement of the vaccines.
The concerning situation piqued the interest of the Chairman of Parliament’s Health Committee, Nana Ayew Afriyie, who sees the need to call the Minister of Health and other agency heads to an emergency meeting on Tuesday, February 28.
The Health Minister who was scheduled to appear in the House on February 28, 2023, failed to show up, thus courting the wrath of the Minority.
Former Minority Chief Whip and a member of the Health Committee of Parliament, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka described as disrespectful, the absence of the Health Minister.
He argued that Mr. Agyemang-Manu must be subpoenaed for disrespecting the Health Committee of Parliament.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has acknowledged the vaccine shortages and attributed the situation to the free fall of the cedi against major trading currencies, especially the dollar.
According to the Paediatric Society of Ghana, the reports are just the tip of the iceberg since more facilities are recording an outbreak of measles.
The Majority Chief Whip in Parliament, Frank Annoh-Dompreh says the country will take stock of some measles vaccines from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the next week.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has urged President Nana Akufo-Addo to sacrifice funds being used to organize this year’s Independence Day celebration to fix the shortage of child vaccines that has hit the country.