Blame the government if suspected Measles-related deaths in TTH are confirmed – Apaak
Builsa South Member of Parliament Dr Clement Apaak has said the government must be held accountable if the five suspected measles deaths at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) are confirmed.
The Head of Paediatrics and Child Health at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), Professor Alhassan Abdul Mumin is reported to have said that the facility has recorded five suspected measles deaths.
“The only reason we’re still calling it a suspected case is because we don’t have the lab results until now.”
“We have five cases admitted with suspected measles. Suspected measles has all the features that would be documented for a child or patient with measles,” said some media reports.
Commenting on the matter, Builsa South Member of Parliament Dr Clement Apaak said the government should be held responsible for the deaths of the babies.
He tweeted on Friday March 10 that “Sad! Five babies have reportedly died in the Northern Territory of suspected measles due to a nationwide shortage of vaccines to immunize babies.
“But the Nana Addo/Bawumia NPP government has yet to tell us when to expect a vaccine. This is another example of the sad but true state of our nation!
“Government should be held accountable for the deaths of these babies. Government has a responsibility to protect citizens/ensure basic needs are met. This is why citizens pay taxes/give government control over resources. When government fails to do what is required, there are consequences .
Meanwhile the Minister of Health Kwaku Agyeman-Manu said the vaccine which is in short supply in the country will arrive in Ghana in three weeks or less.
Speaking in Parliament on Friday, March 10, he announced that $6.4 million had been paid to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), to provide the vaccine.
He further called on the members of parliament to help him get proper funding for vaccine procurement.
“Mr. Speaker, this is a matter of very serious public interest, the assurance that I will give and I can give for the first time in this room that this will not happen again.
“I will advise you that you will help me to advocate to get enough funding for the vaccine, despite the health insurance budget. So when we meet with the committee, they always talk about it, and even in the room, it has come that the Parliament approves enough to we and we always have a good budget we will be able to provide. I assure you that any challenge that happens, I do not think that we will face that challenge again.
“I can stand here and assure the House that in two weeks or three weeks, we will get the vaccine, even before. I can’t ask for a specific date but maybe before, we can get the vaccine that we are talking about. During that period, we has made 6.4 million dollars equivalent to UNICEF providing vaccines,” said the Dormaa Central MP.
Parts of the country have recently experienced vaccine shortages.
On Tuesday, March 7, some breastfeeding mothers revealed how the lack of vaccines is affecting their babies.
A nursing mother at the Adabraka Polyclinic in Accra, Naa Dromo Torto told Judith Awortwe-Tandoh on TV3 on Tuesday, March 7, that her 4-month-old baby has not received the polio vaccine for two consecutive months.
He said, “Some mothers gave birth last month and they haven’t got the vaccine, this month we didn’t get it either, so I think the babies are at high risk of developing defects.”
Asked what guarantee they gave him to vaccinate the baby, he said “Last month, they actually told me that the vaccine was finished this month, Today we also hear the same story that there is still a shortage.”
Another mother Georgina Annum said, “My baby is 9 months old. My baby needs to take two vaccines, Polio and Yellow Fever but there is a shortage, so now we are waiting for the nurse to provide some for us. It has been two months since my baby did not take these two vaccines.
In his previous press conference on vaccine shortages, he pointed out that the vaccines that are lacking are Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG), Measles-Rubella (MR), and Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV).
This shortage is nationwide, he said.
Addressing a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, March 7, Member of Parliament for Central Dormaa said the lack of new measles vaccine, which he regretted, is a symptom of the global decline in measles vaccination since the start of covid. -19 pandemic.
“Let me quote from a recent WHO publication on a topic that puts the challenges we face into perspective: Ghana’s Ministry of Health has worked hard to secure adequate stocks of vaccines despite these global challenges.
“We have done everything necessary to ensure that despite these challenges, we get enough stock for the next few weeks. It is important to correct the false impression that someone has died from Measles in Ghana recently. For the avoidance of doubt, no one has died from the recent surge in Measles cases.There have been absolutely no deaths since 2003 even though we have recorded cases every year.
“Finally, despite these challenges, Ghana’s immunization performance coverage remains the best in the world. By 2021, we are recording 95% coverage.
“Working with UNICEF, we are fast-tracking the process and it is expected that the vaccine will be provided in the next few weeks All things being equal. The Ministry of Health will ensure that we keep track of immunization records and quickly overcome the bottleneck,” he said.
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana
Read the Full Story
Advertise Here contact advertisement[@]ghheadlines.com