We’ll increase prices of drugs over UNIPASS – Pharmaceutical manufacturers

The public condemnation from groups and individuals whose businesses have been affected by the continuous incompetence of the Ghana Link/UNIPASS-ICUMS platform that has disrupted  trade facilitation and revenue generation keeps increasing each day with the latest to join is the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association.

According to the association, they will pass on the cost incurred over the implementation to the general public adding that, they are incurring a lot of cost following the challenges with the ICUMS system.

Speaking on the Sunrise morning show on 3FM hosted by Alfred Ocansey,  Lucia Addae said: “There are even Covid-related medicines like Hydroxychloroquine being stuck at the port, there are vaccines, there are other medications  stuck at the port because of the new system.”

She further stated that the implementation of the ICUMS system was poorly done and should be reconsidered.

“We had an old system that was working, the GCNet. It was efficient, you could upload, preload documents before your consignment gets in. You will know the values that you are paying and then you go through the process that was known by all the stakeholders.

“It is important to know that this ICUMS system was brought in about a month ago, it had challenges and for some reasons it was withdrawn.

“What the pharmaceutical manufacturers are facing right is that currently they are not able to put in their documents before the consignment comes in, there are companies that have 10 containers or more and then they have to start the process all over again.”

Ship Owners Frustrated

The Ship owners and Agents Association of Ghana, last week, officially wrote to government in protest against the Ghana Link/UNIPASS-ICUMS platform, pointing out the never ending frustrations and disappointment it has brought to the ports.

“We must put on record that our members spared no effort and offered their maximum cooperation during the transition period to ensure that there would be a workable system by the end of the roll-out of the system.

“Unfortunately, things have not gone as expected and as at date, we are unable to upload most of our files onto the system. We have therefore had to resort to manual uploading which happens to be a slow and laborious process.

“With regards to the current situation, which has arisen through no fault of ours, members cannot be held liable for any delay or inconvenience that must be borne by consignees,” a statement signed by the Association’s Executive Secretary, Perpetua Osei-Bonsu on Monday June 8, noted