Coalition of CSO Networks in HIV, TB and Malaria has hinted of massive demonstration over the continuous locked up of commodities (drugs) at the Ports.
Addressing a news conference in Accra on Monday (April 9, 2024) the President of Ghana HIV and AIDS Network (GHANET) Mr. Ernest Amoabeng Ortsin stressed that people are dying as a result of unavailability of drugs in various hospitals in the country, causing frustration to health workers.
He said the current situation, if not resolved could result in a public health crisis in the country maintaining that the drugs which include ACTs, ARVs Treatment nets, test kits are very essential to the health sector.
Mr. Ortsin further explained that the drugs which were shipped by Global Fund has been wasting away at the Port for almost a year without any action being taken by government to clear them.
He further stated that after the global Fund had released 400,000 dollars to clear the commodities, government wrote back to the donor saying the required fund needed to clear the goods amounts to 1.3 million dollars since charges at the Port has shot up.
“Somebody sends you commodities free of charge you don’t clear them and when the goods go bad then you go back to the donor to give you more funds to dispose them off.
This is insensitive. Today today we want to see the commodities cleared at the Port”, the President of GHANET fumed.
He indicated that “as it stands now we do not know which condition under which the commodities are being stored”.
He revealed that even though the new Commissioner General of GRA Ms. Julie Essiam visited to assure them that the goods will be cleared within 14 days, the Coalition however, will present a petition to Parliament and the seat of government today to Press home their demand for all the goods to be cleared today failure of which the Coalition will stage a massive demonstration on Wednesday April 17, 2024.
Source:NewsFlashAfrica.Com
