Accra, July 31, GNA-Data and Advocacy Consult Ghana (DAC-GH), an independent organization, has commended Mr Kwaku Agyeman Manu, the Health Minister for initiating well thought-out measures to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Felix Asirifi, the Acting Director of DAC-GH, who gave the commendation said the Minister had shown leadership which benefited the country immensely.
The Acting Director who said this at a news conference in Accra added that due to the efforts of the Health Minister, Ghana had been recognized as one of the countries to manage the pandemic with fewer deaths of 823, comparatively one of the lowest in the world.
« We will like to acknowledge the effort of the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, for the appointment of the Health Minister. Indeed, he has proven to be the right person to have led the charge against the pandemic, » he stated.
According to Mr Asirifi, despite the issues regarding procurement of vaccines for the country, the Minister had not been bad in managing the situation in its totality.
« Indeed, the Minister has been honest in his submission to the committee in acknowledging that, there were some issues as regards the procurement of the vaccines, would we rather as a country prefer that the Minister shift the blame or found other means of hiding this.
« Or we will rather prefer his honesty with the issues surrounding the purchase of the vaccine. Our answer to this question should reflect the kind of public servants we seek to train.
« We are, therefore, of the firm belief that the Minister chose the health and safety of Ghanaians over procedural measures, » he said.
Mr Asirifi said the Minister had been forthright with the people and country and also shown that he was human and could make mistakes.
We are not by this statement in anyway stating that public officials should be encouraged to hide behind any excuse to expand public funds without due diligence. However, we will support any public official who is honest in his duty to the mandate given him, he added.
According to the Mr Asirifi, the history of COVID-19 would never be written without the mention of the leadership of the President and the Health Minister.
« Even in the face of being infected and on admission at the Intensive Care Unit, the Minister showed leadership by surviving the disease and giving hope to those that were affected and also returning to the field to fight the pandemic.
« There can never be any testimonial written about his resilience in fighting the pandemic accept by the success we have chalked so far, » he said.
The Acting Director of DAC-GH, appealed to parliament to use the report in framing laws to forestall such equalities when we are in difficult times and the laid down rules regarding procurement could be bypassed.
The group encouraged the Minister to remain focused on the good job done so far because COVID-19 was still here to save more lives.
