Mustapha Hameed, a New Patriotic Party (NPP) activist has says persons calling for the head of Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu for the Sputnik vaccine saga must be ‘mad’.
In a post on Facebook, he said the minister put Ghanaian lives first amid the ravishing Covid-19 pandemic and bypassed the stressful bureaucratic processes just to secure vaccines to save lives, yet, people think he deserves to be sacked.
“Even amongst the most advanced of nations are those struggling to lay their hands on vaccines to save their people. A health minister reaches out to a vaccine producing nation using all government and official means, they could not help. All efforts proved futile. Back home cases are rising. As minister, the buck stops with him. Then he finds a wee window with an Imaraati Sheikh. He exploits it for 300,000 doses.He comes under fire because he bypassed the long winding obnoxious bureaucratic processes. His was a race against time, for lives are more precious.”
“A health minister gotta do what he gotta do. The usual talkatives ask why he bypassed bureaucratic bottlenecks. He’s at fault and they demand his head on their guillotine. I say they’re mad!” part of of his post read.
Mr Manu has been on the spotlight after using his own discretion to procure Covid-19 vaccines for the country without approval.
The minister during a public sitting of the investigative committee admitted that he acted on his own accord in procuring Covid-19 vaccines by contracting the Emirati middleman for the supply of the vaccines, which were at a unit cost of $19 instead of the factory price of $10.
A committee set to investigate the deal has urged the Minister for Finance to take steps to recover the money due the Republic in respect of the amount of US$2,850,000.00 (Cedi equivalent of GH¢16,331,640.00).
He further stated that no money was ever paid to the Sheikh, Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum for the supply of Sputnik V vaccines to Ghana.
However, just a day ago he wrote a letter to the Sheikh demanding a refund of monies paid to the Sheikh who delivered only 20,000 doses of Sputnik vaccines out of the expected 300,000 doses.
The money has however been refunded.
Source: GhanaFeed.com