The Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Lawyer Nana Obiri Boahen has called on Parliament to enact laws that will make it mandatory for Ghanaians to vaccinate against the COVID-19. Lawyer Obiri Boahen said a law to enjoin all Ghanaians except those whose health does not make it possible to vaccinate against the disease is the way to go.
“If I have my way, Parliament of Ghana should pass a law that possession of health insurance card should be compulsory. Every Ghanaian should have a health insurance card. You [Ghanaians] should go and vaccinate against the COVID for free and yet people are not doing it? We should pass a law; Parliament should pass a law. Our lawmaking body should be strong and proactive. You do not give people the opportunity to do whatever pleases them,” he said.
Lawyer Obiri Boahen made these comments on the back of earlier suggestions by the National Communications Officer of the NDC Sammy Gyamfi that government should not seek to compel Ghanaians to vaccinate against COVID-19. He stressed that to ensure government deals adequately with the disease, “we should ensure that if you have not vaccinated, you will not be allowed to enter into public places; pure and simple”.
“This is why sometimes people say that some politicians are dishonest. I mean, you cannot be doing that. I cannot see myself, that I will go and vaccinate against the disease, then I will be writing long articles. I hate these things. It is sycophancy. You do not treat the average Ghanaian as if he is a non-entity. You [Sammy Gyamfi] should be seen encouraging everybody to go and do it,” he added.
It would be recalled that the Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress hit back at the Ghana Health Service (GHS) for its decision to make vaccination compulsory for all travellers leaving and visiting the country.
This was after the GHS made modifications to its travel protocols on vaccination on Thursday, December 9.
The Service noted that in the wake of Omicron, all persons 18 years and above arriving in Ghana from December 12 must provide proof of full vaccination.
Meanwhile, former Communications Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah has said it will not be out of place if government embarks on compulsory vaccination of the citizenry in the wake of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
“The Public Health Act allows for compulsory vaccination. It is not only legal but also an act to protect you, your family, friends and everyone. Avail yourself to be vaccinated so long as you don’t have a condition which makes it impossible for you to receive it,” he wrote on Facebook.
A1Radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
