General News of Tuesday, 15 March 2022
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2022-03-15Review COVID-19 test cost at KIA - Minority to government
Haruna Iddrisu
COVID-19 testing: Minority accuses government of extortion at KIA
Reduce cost of PCR test, Minority tells government
Minority to demand accountability by frontiers health services in Parliament
Nowhere in the world does anybody pay 150 dollars for a COVID test, Minority
The Minority in Parliament has tasked the government to review the cost of COVID-19
Read full articletesting at Kotoka International Airport.
According to Haruna Iddrisu, the amount charged at the airport is fleecing and a rip-off of Ghanaian international travelers entering the country for which reason it must be reviewed.
“…Another issue I would like to address is the fleecing and the rip-off of Ghanaian international travelers into our country in the name of COVID. They are charged at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) by frontier health services. It must be reviewed and reviewed in harness by government. Nowhere in the world does anybody pay 150 dollars for a COVID test,” Haruna Iddrisu said at a press conference.
He believes the test arrangement is questionable and that the government is using the COVID test as a money-making enterprise instead treating it as a public health epidemic.
“…for non-Ghanaians to be compelled to pay 150 dollars in the name of COVID test, which COVID test arrangement procurement is questionable and raises the question of us using COVID as money-making enterprise instead of a public health epidemic that leads our collective effort to combat and to deal with, we do not think that continuously, persons traveling to Ghana from abroad must be made to pay 150 dollars. We consider that a rip off and even 50 dollars for Ghanaian nationals is high.” Haruna Iddrisu said
He further indicated that the minority will file a motion to demand accountability by Frontiers Health Services to know how much they have made in relation to the testing charges.
In February last year, amidst the second wave of Covid-19 in the country, management of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) revised its safety measures that must be strictly observed by passengers traveling to Ghana.
Per the revised directive, individuals must undertake a PCRs test which costs US$50 for Ghanaians and ECOWAS citizens and US$150 for all other passengers.
