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The Chief Executive Officer of the Peace and Love Hospital, Dr. Beatrice Wiafe-Addai has re-iterated calls on government to reduce tariffs imposed on free medical consignments intended to support public and private health facilities in the country.
According to her, high duties are preventing many donors from importing more drugs and other medical equipment to help Ghana’s underserved hospitals.
She noted “Since we are not selling these items, the government can also waive the duties on them because we get them for free and we come and distribute to our institutions at no cost to them, so why should we pay duties on them?”
She stated that the government should rather assist such donors by exempting the consignments from paying duties in order to encourage more donated items to support health facilities in the hinterlands.
Dr. Wiafe-Addai also stated that many people with hypertension, diabetes, and cancer are unable to afford the necessary drugs; therefore, if the government subsidizes free medical supplies, such people will continue to receive cost-free drugs, ultimately improving Ghana’s health system.
She was speaking after distributing hundreds of medicines worth million US dollars to Ghanaian health facilities. The medicines included
Drip, Vagina speculum, pregnancy supplements medicine, intravenous infusions, Atenolol tablets, Labitalol tablets and Vicryl.
The medicine was presented to the Board members of Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG ) to also destribute to various christian health facilities in the country.
Speaking to media at the short ceremony today at the premises of peace and love Hospital, Dr. Beatrice Wiafe said that the assistance provided by Direct Relief, a non-governmental organisation based in the United States, is aimed at assisting vulnerable people in some middle and low-income countries, including Ghana.
She urged the beneficiary hospitals to avoid selling the drugs to patients and instead provide them for free.
Mr Kwaku Frimpong Board of Trustee member – (CHAG) who received the items on behalf of the Christian Health Association of Ghana thanked Dr Mrs Beatrice Wiafe Addai and the organisation for its significant contribution to health care delivery in the country.
He said the gesture has been very beneficial to them because many vulnerable people no longer struggle to access drugs.
He stated that the donation came at an opportune time given the country’s recent economic difficulties.
Mr Kwaku Frimpong also promised that they will make sure the drugs will be given free to patients.
