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The Ministry of Health (MoH) has successfully received and cleared 14 out of 182 containers holding essential medicines at the Tema Port. These medicines, including antiretrovirals, Tuberculosis (TB), and malaria treatments, were donated by the Global Fund (GF).
The essential medical commodities, crucial for the treatment of diseases like HIV, TB, and malaria, had been stranded at the port for nearly a year due to the government’s inability to settle third-party fees.
Alhaji Hafiz Adam, the Chief Director of the MoH, disclosed that approximately 168 more containers are yet to be cleared, at a cost of about GHC17 million. These containers include non-medicine commodities such as bed nets and Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs).
“Today, 14 containers of health commodities comprising 10 containers of malaria RDT containers, one container of malaria injection, three containers of malaria medicine will be delivered to a warehouse,” he added.
Acknowledging the need for comprehensive support in health investments, both financially and technically, the MoH Chief Director expressed hope that the Ministry would continue to receive support from the Ministry of Finance (MoF), its agencies, and the public to fulfill its mandate of providing quality healthcare access to Ghanaians.
Furthermore, the MoH assured stakeholders and the public in a statement on April 9 that significant progress had been made in clearing the remaining 182 out of 435 containers at the Tema Port, holding antiretrovirals, TB, and malaria medicines by Friday, April 12, 2024.
“We wish to reassure our stakeholders and the general public that the challenges associated with the clearing of MoH medicines and other commodities from the Tema Port and other points of entry have been conclusively and completely resolved by the Government,” the MoH stated in the release issued on Tuesday, April 9.
The MoH explained that as part of the Global Fund’s ongoing support to the Government of Ghana, it received 435 containers at the Tema Port between August 2023 and February 2024 containing anti-HIV, TB, and malaria medicines and mosquito nets for distribution across the country.
Out of the 435 containers, the MoH successfully and swiftly cleared 253 from the Port with the support of the government, leaving 182 containers.
