GOVERNMENT TAKES STEPS TO ENSURE AVAILABILITY OF POLIO VACCINES - DEPUTY MINISTER FOR HEALTH
22-11-2017The Deputy Minister for Health, Hon. Kingsley Aboagye Gyedu says there was a shortage of Oral Polio Vaccines due to delays in procurement arrangements which were addressed after Ghana cleared existing debt inherited for two previous years and the cost for this year’s vaccine procurement, amounting to about ten million US Dollars.
This was in response to a question by the Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Hon. Suhuyini Alhassan Sayibu about what led to a recent shortage of vaccines for children under five years old in the country and what measures are in place to restore supply and prevent a recurrence.
The Deputy Minister said also, that, GAVI supplies vaccines to Ghana on grant arrangements based on co-funding. He says the country became indebted due to expenditure that was questioned on the basis of misallocation of assets amounting to US$364,500, return of expenditure funds not related to government’s activities amounting to US$ 116,975, Ghana’s inability to fulfill its 2016 co-financing obligations costing US43, 298,500, Ghana’s commitment to reimburse misused funds of US$850,470 and the 2017 co-financing obligation amounting to US$ 6.298,000 which had to be paid in full.
He assured the House that the situation has been normalized, as necessary arrangements have been made to secure funding for vaccines for the rest of this year and next year. Adequate provision have also been made by allocating some budget funds to ensure vaccine security for the country.
