KIA COVID-19 testing: Ghana Airport Company only rented its space to Frontier - Transport Minister-designate
-The deal was contracted under an emergency procurement process
-As a result, the firm operated whilst unlicensed
-According to the minister-designate, Frontier is required to pay $10.00 on every test to GACL
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Finally, the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Tuesday, February 23, received an explanation regarding the controversies surrounding the selection of the company conducting the COVID-19 test at the Kotoka International Airport.
Kweku Ofori Asiamah’s attempt to put to rest the raging controversies surrounding the selection of Frontier Healthcare Solution Services Limited came after four key officials in the president’s first term distanced themselves from the contract.
Source: Facebook
The government of Ghana engaged Frontier Healthcare Solution Services Limited under emergency procurement to carry out rapid COVID-19 tests at the airport following the reopening of the facility to international passenger flights.
The company began its operations in the country without the necessary license.
Appearing before the Appointments Committee, Asiamah said the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL), which operates the KIA, only rented its space to Frontier Healthcare Services after the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) certified the equipment to be used by Frontier.
President Nana Akufo-Add0 announced in August 2020, his administration’s desire to reopen the country to air traffic subject to the availability of an effective system for COVID-19 testing.
“The agreement was essentially for rental of office space. Paragraphs 4.4, 4.6, 4.7, 5.1, and 5.2 bears this out. The consideration payable by Frontiers was simply the payment of rent and service or utility charges,” Asiamah explained.
In the said rent agreement the GACL entered into with Frontier Healthcare Services, the Transport Minister-designate disclosed that the laboratory service provider was also required to make a payment of royalties of $10.00 per test done to the GACL.
“The payment of royalties to GACL did not imply that the agreement had to receive PPA approval,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, the MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said he would take the COVID-19 vaccine jab publicly when it gets to his turn.
“I look forward to publicly receiving the jab,” he stated.
The former Deputy Education Minister’s pledge followed reports that Ghana was expecting the first batch of the COVID-19 vaccines in the country this week.
The country is one of the 145 countries of the UN-led COVAX Facility earmarked to take delivery of 2.4 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine licensed to the Serum Institute of India (AZ/SII).
Over 200 million dollars is being spent to procure the vaccines, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) revealed.
President Nana Akufo-Addo’s advisor on health, Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare, said no Ghanaian would pay a dime before taking the COVID-19 vaccine.
“It is free to the ordinary citizen,” he stated in an interview monitored by YEN.com.gh on Accra-based Asaase Radio on Monday, February 22, 2021.
Dr. Nsiah Asare said the country was supposed to get about 20% of those vaccines which is about six million.
He further noted that the country is getting vaccines from bilateral organisations as well as the private sector which agreed to give vaccines for the corporate organisations, “but they will also give the government the same amount of vaccines.”
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Source: YEN.com.gh
