The Minority in parliament is demanding the immediate abrogation of any contract between Ghana and any entity for the procurement of Sputnik V vaccines.
According to the Ranking Member on the Health Committee, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, revelations about the government procuring vaccines at $19 per dose instead of $10 smacks of financial impropriety and cost inflation.
Addressing the press in Parliament, the Juaboso MP said there is no justification for the government to procure the Sputnik V vaccines at such a cost.
“The minority in Parliament will urge the government to reconsider both terms of this contract with particular emphasis on price and work assiduously through proper diplomatic and approved channels to secure COVID-19 vaccines for Ghanaians. This contract is unconstitutional, null, and void and the government should abrogate and refrain from making any payment with respect to this contract before laying the entirety of the contract before Parliament for scrutiny and subsequent approval.”
A Norwegian news tabloid, Verdens Gang, reported that Ghana has made a request to purchase 3.4 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine through two businessmen who are selling it to Ghana at $19 per dose instead of the $10 per dose on the international market.
The government has explained that it could not secure the vaccines directly from the manufacturer, hence the need to go through some middlemen, and that explains why the cost is higher than the standard price of the Russian vaccine.
But the minority disagrees with the position of the government.
According to Mr. Akandoh, there is no justification for the procurement of the vaccine at that cost.
Meanwhile, Mr. Akandoh has said in an earlier interview that the Minister for Health, Kweku Agyemang Manu, will be dragged before Parliament’s Health Committee over the development.
“We are going to invite the Minister to appear before the Committee so that he answers relevant questions because, as for the press release and the things they are saying, it is very difficult to believe,” he told Umaru Sanda Amadu, host of Eyewitness News, on Thursday, June 10, 2021.
