The Minority in Parliament says it will drag the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman Manu to Parliament to explain the rationale behind government’s decision to hire the services of middlemen to purchase some vaccines for the national COVID-19 inoculation exercise from Russia.
Government has come under intense pressure following its decision to use intermediaries to secure over three million Sputnik-V vaccines at a cost of 19 dollars instead of 10 dollars on the international market.
The Minority in Parliament believes this is a ripoff, and that some further explanations are needed.
Kwabena Minta Akandoh, the Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament in a Citi News interview said they are prepared to ensure that the full details of the deal are given to the public.
He said even if they have to travel to Russia to unravel all the issues surrounding the deal, they are prepared for it.
“We have indicated to the Chairman of the Health Committee that the Health Minister be brought back to the Committee so that we get the opportunity to ask him more questions for him to clarify. I am sure we will be able to interrogate the issues and interrogate them well.”
“We are not going to relax on this particular matter even if it demands that we travel to Russia to look for more information, we will do it.”
On the same issue, a private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sack the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman Manu.
According to him, the Minister has not shown prudence in the handling of the procurement of the Sputnik – V vaccines for the national inoculation exercise.
“He should know that Ghanaians are very vigilant; so this one, I think the Health Minister has been too sloppy and the least the President can do is to sack him. The President should know that we are very angry with what the Health Minister has done, he has not shown prudence at all and has also shown no sensitivity to how Ghanaians react to issues of money.”
