Ghana Health Service confirms clearance of locked up Global Fund donated medications

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has confirmed receiving all medications cleared from the Global Fund containers, which were stuck at the port.

Director General of the Service Dr. Patrick Kumah-Aboagye said the drugs are being distributed to areas that were experiencing shortages.

The Country Coordinating Mechanism for the Global Fund in Ghana last week confirmed to 3news that almost all of its commodities locked up at the port had been cleared as assured by the Minister of Health.

Their checks at the Central Medical Stores proved positive, but they were unable to ascertain if the health facilities had received them.

Dr. Kumah-Aboagye said his outfit has received the medications and distributed it to the affected areas already.

‘‘The containers, a significant proportion like the Minister said has been cleared, and all those shortages, we are working to ensure they are delivered. We have an electronic delivery system that gives us real time situation of all our suppliers. So based on that, we put in when the requests come.

We also have trucks that take medications to the facilities and deliver them as and when they come. So, we are rapidly deploying to make sure that any shortage is averted and where there are shortages and impending shortages, we are correcting them,” he disclosed.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Health Dr Okoe Boye says all the commodities with essential medications have been cleared except for a few new containers with more mosquito nets.

‘‘The media worked with us to ensure some of the medicines, including TB/MALARIA and mosquito nets were cleared from the port and I am happy that after we all voiced out and made a passionate appeal.

As I speak, we have over 260 containers cleared. So all the TB and Malaria medicines are out. But it appears that there are some nets that after clearing all the goods, we have just been informed at the Ministry that new discoveries have been made of more mosquito nets,” he explained.

He assured that the remainder would also be cleared accordingly.

“So, this morning, the GRA informs me that they have put in a system to gazette them and get those ones too out of the port. I think what I want to mention which is very important is that the processes between the Ministry and the GRA have been streamlined, so that in the future we will not have this occurring again,” he stated.

The commodities are meant for the management of HIV/TB and Malaria in the country.