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The Ranking Member on Health Committee in Parliament and Member of Parliament (MP) for Juaboso, Kwabena Mintah Akandah has called on government to release funds to Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to perform their functions efficiently.
He explains that, there are several food products and drugs on Ghanaian market which needs to be checked randomly by FDA in order to make sure they are safe for Ghanaians to consume but those random checks are not going on anymore.
Mr Akandah further said, upon his investigation from the FDA, there are no funds to carry such an important exercise in making sure that, safe products are sold to Ghanaians.
On Thursday, the FDA was engaged, and Mr. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the ranking member of the committee, stated that “they have no money” in his remarks to the Parliamentary Press Corps.
The Upper East region’s anthrax outbreak made Mr. Akandoh’s call necessary.
“This is particularly important since anthrax is close at hand and the FDA cannot conduct surveillance activities. I believe that this is a very delicate issue that we shouldn’t brush off because you and I are in danger, he stated.
He claimed that the FDA was the only organization the populace could rely on, but that their negligence of duty hurt the nation.
Mr. Akandoh, cited Act 7 of the Public Health Act 851 to describe surveillance and General Manufacturing Processes (GMP) as the FDA’s two primary mandates, which the Authority is allegedly unable to carry out due to a purported lack of funding in order to determine the standards of foods, medical devices, and drugs available on the market.
“In the meantime, the FDA has ceased operations, putting the general public at serious risk of being unable to verify the wholesomeness of items on the market without supervision.
“And with the anthrax outbreak, it is expected that the FDA will step up its operations,” he said. “Unfortunately, however, its surveillance and GMP operations are stalled.”
The ranking member has therefore called on government through the finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to release funds immediately to such an important agency to perform its duties.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com/Nana Kwaku Boffah
