Government Satisfied With COVID-19 Testing Service @ Airport – Oppong Nkrumah
The Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has said that the COVID-19 testing regime for passengers arriving in Ghana at the Kotoka International Airport must be celebrated and not attacked.
He said the government is so far satisfied with the work of the private company; Health Frontiers, contracted to offer the testing service.
Speaking at a press encounter in Accra, the Minister said the service is playing a critical role in protecting the health of 30 million Ghanaians in the country adding that government has no plans of suspending the tests at the airport, changing the company or suspending the contract.
“We are very satisfied with their tests which have helped prevent 50 [COVID-19] cases from getting into the general population as of the end of September 2020. It will be irresponsible of us to tinker with the successes being achieved so far,” he said.
The Minister’s comment comes on the back of demands by the Minority in Parliament that the deal must be suspended because it lacks transparency and breaches the procurement laws of the country.
The Ranking Member on the Health Committee, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, earlier this week requested that the COVID-19 testing at the airport be given to Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research rather than Health Frontiers saying that the company lacks credibility.
But the Ofoase Ayirebi legislator rubbished claims, saying that Health Frontiers are credible and have so far performed to the satisfaction of government.
“Their services were well procured, their standards meet global requirements, and we have no qualms with them. If indeed the minority wants answers to questions, they know the appropriate place to file those questions as parliament resumes.”
The COVID-19 airport testing regime commended on September 1, 2020, when Ghana reopened its international air borders.
Each arriving passenger is required to pay $150 for a PCR COVID-19 test that is administered by Frontiers Health Care Limited, a private company.