More questions to Ghana gov’t on the COVID-19 pandemic [Statement]

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NATIONAL WATCH, a Public Interest Advocacy Platform, since the declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic, has led the call for the Government of Ghana to establish Mandatory places of Quarantine to hold travellers entering Ghana from any COVID-19 hit country.

That position had been vindicated when Government of Ghana through Ministry of Health (MoH) and Ghana Health Service (GHS) later realized how unproductive the self Quarantine directive had become, switching to the preferred Mandatory Quarantine, flowing from which 78 persons out of over a 1,000 travelers who underwent Mandatory Quarantine tested positive for COVID-19.

In the spirit of being able to identify and properly deal with the problem at hand so that we rather do not get consumed by it, we urge the Akufo Addo-led Government to operate with a lot more candour.

Now, NATIONAL WATCH, in acknowledging Government’s effort for the need to expand the contact tracing net, wishes to specifically find out how many travellers within the timelines of March 3, 2020 and now had been identified as ‘tested’? How many more are left to be identified? Again, how many of those identified are waiting for the test?

This has become necessary on the back of the Ghana Medical Association’s public information that Government is unable to trace some of the travelers who flew into Ghana about 2 weeks ago and that their details including contacts provided on their travel manifest have proven to be un-reliable.

Beyond that, the issues surrounding the sad passing of Nana Osei Boansi Kufour, who happened to be the father of Obour, former MUSIGA President, have opened a can of worms, partly exposing the Government’s half-hearted commitment towards the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says the issue in question is under investigations by the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge) and at other various levels.

To satisfy our curiosity and that of the larger public on the matter, here are a few questions regarding the investigations;

1. Aside Ridge hospital, at which other levels are investigating on the matter ongoing?
2. What is the membership and level of relevant expertise of the investigative bodies/groups?
3. Who commissioned the investigative bodies/groups?
4. What are their Terms of Reference (ToR)?
5. What timelines have they been given to submit their report?

These questions have become very important, particularly at a time that there are investigations conducted in the past in matters so dear to the heart of the public, but whose content on completion were denied the people.

Finally, as a result of government’s lip service in meeting the critical needs (PPEs, test kits etc) in our health care institutions, we have observed, with deep concern, the considerable consternation amongst health workers across the country. The last thing Ghana needs at this time is a leadership that is not proactive in providing for its army of health workers and a health care army that is scared of the medical war. The consequences do not portend well for Ghana. The earlier government attend to this shortages the better.

Thank you.

NATIONAL WATCH

signed

Group Spokespersons

Koku Mawuli Nanegbe
Kofi Adoli

Source: Daily Mail GH