The Presidential Advisor on health, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare has dismissed the criticisms against government’s COVID-19 expenditure.
Responding to allegations from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Nsiah Asare, , stated that the claims by the opposition party lacked substance.
He cited a recent World Bank audit, which found the government’s handling of COVID-19 funds to be satisfactory, indicating prudence in expenditure.
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Dr. Nsiah-Asare made these remarks during an interview on Onua FM’s Yen Nsempa morning show, emphasizing the importance of seeking accurate information before making accusations.
The NDC had accused the government of misusing COVID-19 funds, prompting their communication officer, Sammy Gyamfi, to call for a return of any misused funds to the consolidated funds, particularly those spent during the 2020 election period.
Dr. Asare reiterated the World Bank’s satisfaction with the expenditure accounts, countering the NDC’s claims.
It would be recalled that the Auditor-General in January 2023 published a report on some infractions in government’s expenditure for Covid-19 from March 2020 to June 2022.
Some of the corrupt practices that were uncovered include; paying a total of US$607,419.02 out of US$4,049,460.12 for the purchase of 26 ambulances that were never delivered, paying unapproved GH₵151,500 by the Information Ministry to its own staff as Covid insurance, and payment for $80 million worth of vaccines by the government which were never delivered, amongst others.
The report also indicated that the country lost over GH₵1 billion through various irregularities including unapproved and illegal payment of allowances to some medical officers.
By Daakyehene Yaw Asante
