By Elsie Appiah-Osei
Accra, July 06, GNA – The National Democratic Congress Members on the Health Committee of Parliament, have called on the Ministry of Finance to release money to aid the Food and Drugs Authority to continue to perform its expected mandate.
Addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps in Parliament on Thursday, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Ranking Member of the Committee, said an engagement with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) indicated that…” they have no money,” he said.
Mr Akandoh’s call was necessitated by the outbreak of anthrax in the Upper East Region parts of the country. “This is very sensitive because we have anthrax at hand and surveillance activities cannot be done by the FDA.
“I think this is a very sensitive matter we should not sweep under the carpet, you and I are not safe,” he said.
According to him, the citizenry could only rely on the FDA but their failure to do their work was a hindrance to the country.
Mr Akandoh, also a National Democratic Congress (NDC), Member of Parliament (MP) for Juaboso, cited Act 7 of the Public Health Act 851 to outline surveillance and General Manufacturing Processes (GMP) as the two core mandates of the FDA that an alleged lack of funds was preventing the Authority from performing to ascertain the standards of food, medical equipment and drugs on the market.
“Meanwhile, the FDA has stopped its activities subjecting the public to a high risk of not being able to authenticate the wholesomeness of products on the market without surveillance.
“And with the outbreak of anthrax, it is expected of the FDA to intensify its operations but unfortunately, its surveillance and GMP operations are stalled,” he said.
Over 150,000 livestock have been vaccinated in the Upper East Region following the outbreak of anthrax in the region.
The outbreak of the disease necessitated a ban on the movement of ruminants such as goats, sheep, pigs, cattle, and dogs from the eastern corridor of the Upper East Region.
According to Dr Benjamin Kissi Sasu, the Risk Communications Manager at the Ghana Veterinary Service, the situation had been brought under control.
“A total of 1,243,000 animals have been vaccinated in the Upper East Region. So far, so good. Looking at the data and the participation of the community, the various districts have now cooperated, and we have had a good number of animal vaccinations ongoing.
“Currently, we are not seeing any signs [of anthrax], and we hope it will keep up. So yes, we have been able to contain it in that way,” Dr Benjamin Kissi Sasu assured.
In a press release, the Regional Health Directorate, on June 1, 2023, announced that it received notification of two suspected cases of anthrax with one death in Binduri District following the consumption of dead cattle.
In all, four cattle died in the affected community. Eleven suspected cases were identified, and contact tracing started in the affected community.
GNA