Health Minister faces Parliament on botched Ebola vaccines trial

The Health Minister Alex Segbefia will appear before Parliament today to answer questions over attempts to carry out an Ebola Vaccines trial in Ghana.

The government of Ghana had agreed with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other stakeholders to embark on the vaccines trial in Hohoe in the Volta region, but was met with stiff opposition from pressure groups after Starrfmonline.com broke the news.

A lot of Ghanaians have raised concerns about the trial, fearing the disease could spread in Ghana although officials have served notice the exercise is not harmful.

Although the health minister Segbefia has ordered the suspension of the exercise, the lawmaking body summoned him to appear before it today to explain why the exercise was ongoing on their blind side.

“Gh¢200 and a phone is silly,” a legislator KT Hammond said on the floor on Wednesday with regards to the incentive package for participants.

"The House has spoken and spoken with one voice. I direct that the Minister brief this House on the vaccines trial… when he comes we’ll ask all the necessary questions. Meanwhile, the position of the House is that the exercise be suspended," the Speaker Edward Doe Adjaho ruled last week.

It is unclear what might have triggered the decision to suspend the trial.

Two weeks ago, Starrfmonline.com broke the news that the University of Health and Allied Sciences is spearheading an Ebola vaccines trial which is expected to kick off at Hohoe in the Volta region soon.

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has confirmed to Starrfmonline.com it is currently testing the vaccine before it can give the green light for the trial to take off. Officials have already approached students of the Hohoe Midwifery Training School to volunteer for the trial.

Documents cited by Starrfmonline.com indicate that the students have been promised Gh¢200 each and mobile phones. They will also receive other compensations such as transport fares among others depending on how the trial goes.

Further probe revealed that pharmaceutical companies including, Johnson and Johnson and GSK were involved in the exercise.