Accra, May 8, GNA – The Akufo-Addo-led Government has offered superior judgement in COVID-19 response plan, contrary to the Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) claims of alleged worsening national response to the pandemic.
Addressing a news conference in Accra on Friday to respond to the Minority claims, Mr Pius Enam Hadzide, a Deputy Minister of Information, said Government’s response was swift and decisive, with broader stakeholder consultation towards tackling the pandemic.
He made reference to the formation of a COVID-19 technical task force made up of epidemiologists, virologists, medical doctors and other technical experts who advised the President on strategies and measures to contain the disease.
The advice informed the President’s decision to close the country’s borders on March 22, ban travellers coming from countries with more than 200 cases, quarantine and isolate persons showing symptoms of the virus, aggressive contact tracing and testing regime and subsequent lock down of COVID-19 hotspots.
Consequently Government allocated 100 million Ghana cedis towards COVID-19 alleviation programme for setting up screening centres, procurement of personal protective equipment for frontline health workers, isolation centres and free treatment of patients.
Government also absorbed three months electricity bill of lifeline consumers and 50 per cent discount for other categories of electricity consumers, free water supply to all Ghanaians, tax rebates for frontline health workers, 50 per cent salary top up, a 600-million stimulus package for small and medium scale enterprises, and scaled up testing centres for COVID-19 from two to nine.
Mr Hadzide described the Minority’s claim of worsening COVID-19 situation and the national response as a mere invitation to cover up the politicisation of the pandemic by the National Democratic Congress flagbearer, Mr John Dramani Mahama.
He said: “The misinformation, deliberate distortions and warped analysis put out by the NDC flagbearer has been bemoaned and roundly condemned by many well-meaning Ghanaians.”
Mr Hadzide said 20 other African countries, including all the ones Mr Mahama specifically listed, had accessed $18 billion from the International Monetary Fund to cushion them through the crisis.
He said the facility was interest-free and without any suffocating conditionality.
Mr Hadzide said it was pathetic that after all the criticism, the Minority was unable to offer any pragmatic alternatives but only rehash the queries of Mr Mahama.
“Several weeks into COVID-19 and after several media engagements; both at the Presidential and other levels, it is disappointing that such deep levels of unawareness is being exhibited by the Minority,” he said.
He queried the NDC for still latching onto the proposal that the Government should have repatriated Ghanaian students from Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus.
“While we decline the invitation of the NDC to engage in a blind and partisan banter on COVID-19, it is also imperative that for their education, we restate some of the facts around Ghana’s very effective and successful COVID-19 Response Plan.”
The COVID-19 task force, he said, coordinated by a former Deputy Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Asamoah Baah, advised the President on the policy options in fighting COVID-19
Responding to the claim by the NDC that science had been relegated to the background, Mr Hadzide described it as untrue and said scientists and health experts had offered regular updates and briefing, thereby the NDC claim of lack of transparency in the COVID-19 fight was mind boggling.
The President announced an initial investment of GH¢35 million for the country’s preparedness and was ramp up to some $100 million, he said, adding that the claim that Government made “no provisions for the eventuality of an outbreak was unfounded.
He outlined the strategic objectives of Ghana’s COVID-19 Response Plan as follows:
1. Limit and stop importation of cases
2. Detect and contain cases
3. Slowdown community spread
4. Care and treatment for sick
5. Limit impact on Social and Economic life
6. Enhance Domestic Capacity and deepen self-Reliance.
To limit and stop importation of cases, the Deputy Minister said a number of steps were introduced including enhanced screening and surveillance at the points of entry to ensure that persons with manifested symptoms were identified and isolated.
The government, he said, had shown great sensitivity to the plight of Ghanaians and whiles at it, our “can-do” spirits are being awakened and leadership is being offered for persons in the pharmaceutical and fashion industries to rise to the occasion and develop our domestic capacity and deepen our self-reliance.
GNA