The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, has dismissed reports that Ghana has lost about $81 million as payment for undelivered vaccines in fighting Covid-19.
Dr Kuma-Aboagye insists that the paid-for vaccines will be delivered as and when needed and not that the money has gone down the gurgler.
He was speaking on Ghana Tonight on TV3 on Monday, January 23.
It follows a report by the Auditor-General, recommending a renegotiation of the agreement between the Ministry of Health and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) to recover the outstanding balance.
According to the report, after government paid over $120 million for the supply of vaccines, only 5.1 million doses worth $38.3 million were delivered.
“We recommend that the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health should renegotiate with UNICEF/AVAT to recover the outstanding amount,” the Auditor-General’s report stated.
But speaking in the interview, Dr Kuma-Aboagye says the vaccines continue to be delivered because the country is not yet done with vaccinating the population.
“So, we have not lost any money,” he stressed. “What it means is that they have to now supply as and when we need it.”
He, however, indicated that the agreement can be renegotiated as recommended by the Auditor-General but that is when government has no need of the vaccines or has alternative sources for them.