$150 COVID test at Airport is too high & A pip off – Sammy Gyanfi

The National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress says the $150 per antigen test at the Kotoka International Airport is a rip-off and should not be tolerated by Ghanaians.

According to Sammy Gyamfi, “the cutthroat charge of $150 per antigen test” at Kotoka smacked of profiteering which should not be countenanced by Ghanaians.

“We are talking about something that has become an essential tool for risk minimisation in the fight against Covid. An essential tool for slowing down the spread of the virus, here we’re talking about testing.

“And so the affordability of that tool is very important because now it’s become an essential service. And that is why in some countries, these tests are done for people for free.

“People don’t even pay anything for it because of how important and critical it is to the fight against the spread of the pandemic.”

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile Saturday, Mr Gyamfi, also stated that investigations carried out by the NDC on the Frontier Healthcare Services Limited, the company in charge of administering the antigen test at the airport, had revealed that the deal and circumstances surrounding the procurement of their service had been illegal.

“That the deal and the circumstances under which that company was engaged is shady, opaque, illegal and that the terms of the transaction, the amount being charged for the antigen test is a rip-off. We think that what is happening is a clear case of profiteering which should not be countenanced by the people of this country.”

His comment follow Health Minister-designate Kwaku Agyeman-Manu admitting that the Frontier Healthcare Service started operations without a license.

During Mr Agyeman Manu’s vetting, Wednesday, he justified the move with a claim that, “in the pandemic, there were certain things that we had to do and try to rectify as we go forward because of the urgency of what we should do immediately”.

Sammy Gyamfi says due to the obscurity of some deals reached during the first term of the Akufo-Addo administration, the NDC is “using this vetting process to hold to account persons who are entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that these things are done for the welfare of the people.”

Source: myjoyonline.com