According to Kwaku Agyeman Manu, Ghana’s health minister, UNICEF has received close to $6.4 million in payment for providing vaccines to Ghana.
He claims that when the vaccines are delivered, the government anticipates that the shortage will be resolved in the following three weeks.
But he added that it was possible for the vaccinations to arrive earlier.
“I will stand here and assure the House that within two, three weeks, we will get the vaccines possibly, even probably before that.”
“Throughout the period, we paid close to $6.4 million equivalent to UNICEF who supplies us the vaccines,” he stated.
On Friday, Mr. Agyeman Manu revealed this on the floor of the legislature.
The assurance from the health minister follows widespread complaints about a shortage of childhood vaccines.
Due to the Ministry of Health’s failure to purchase these vaccines since the year began, Ghana ran out of crucial BCG and OPV doses.
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While the OPV is primarily needed to prevent polio infections, the BCG vaccine is primarily needed to prevent the development of tuberculosis in infants.
There is also a shortage of other crucial vaccines to stop diseases like measles, whooping cough, etc.
The Northern Region has experienced a measles outbreak due to a vaccine shortage.
But he noted that the vaccine shortage will be a thing of the past, assuring the House for the first time.
Additionally, he urged the members of parliament to support his efforts to fund vaccines and the health insurance budget.
“When we meet with committee, we have always been talking about it and even in the chamber it has come up. So that if Parliament approves adequately for us, we always have our budget well defined, we will be able to supply and I assure you that whatever challenges that happened, I don’t think we are going to face the possible challenges any longer,” he said convincingly.
