Chief Executive Officer of Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), Mensah Thompson, has called on Ghanaians not to allow the New Patriotic Party (NPP) – led administration to use COVID-19 as a smokescreen to rob them on the face.
According to him, the government’s actions and inactions toward the fight against the virus show that it is not interested in acquiring the COVID-19 vaccine rather, it wants to make a profit at any least opportunity given; the reason it allowed a middle-man to procure Russia’s Sputnik-V Covid-19 vaccine at $19 per dose instead of $10.
Speaking on Daybreak Upper East Show on A1 Radio, Mr. Mensah noted that, “You see, this government is not interested in the vaccine; what it is interested in, is the procurement of the vaccine and the kickbacks it will get at the end of the day.”
Buttressing his point, Mr. Mensah said he once proposed to the Ministry of Health about an agent who wanted to establish a plant in Ghana where it will be producing the vaccine and selling it at a lower cost.
He explained that “A month ago, I approached the government about a Russian company that is an agent to the company that produces the Sputnik-V Covid-19 vaccine. You know the Sputnik-V company has agents across Europe. It wanted to establish a plant in Africa specifically Ghana where it will be producing the vaccine and distributing it to various African Countries at a lower cost.
This request made was not because the company wanted to be in Ghana but the one who was the leader of the said agent was a Ghanaian based in Russia. And this person was a close friend of mine, so when he linked up to me then, I made contact with the Health Ministry. What the Ministry told me was that it has already shortlisted some local companies in Ghana to begin the production of the vaccine hence it was not interested. Then, I asked myself how, but you see, this government is not interested in the vaccine.”
Source: A1radioonline.come/101.1 MHz/Moses Apiah/Ghana
