Government engaged in business with antigen test at KIA – Mintah Akandoh claims

Ranking Member on the Committee on Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has said government’s appears to be in business with its continuous antigen test at the airport despite the opposition against it.

Speaking to Lily Mohammed on Starr Today, Mr. Akandoh indicated that lot of countries are doing without testing at the airports.

“Countries such as Uganda, South Africa a lot have done away. The signs from their (Ghana) own books indicate that it is no more relevant because from 2020 to 2022 data shows the positivity rate is around 0.9 percent,” he said.

“Which means if you take 100 people you cannot even get one person with COVID-19,” the Ranking Member on Health disclosed.

He further explained that “What is even problematic is that the PCR test is above the antigen test. So before you embark on a trip from the US to Ghana 24-hours, before the trip you must do a PCR test and you must have a negative result before you will be allowed to embark on the trip. Now when you have done the PCR test and you get to Ghana. They are going to verify the PCR test with an antigen test, what kind of logic is this.

“That a foreigner from Nigeria will come and set up at our Airport and just be taking 150 dollars and others 50 dollars per test,” the Member of Parliament (MP) for Juaboso stated.

According to him, prices for taking the test in other countries are far less to what Ghana is charging travelers.

“We have filed motions, read statements and ask questions and these people are still there as if they have not heard anything. The President hasn’t heard anything just because he thinks the man behind the Frontier Health Service is his close friend. So he should make money at the expense of Ghanaians.”

However, the Minority has served notice of their impending picketing at the Airport on the 30th of March, 2022 to tell the world how the government is handling travelers.

“I think that is the only language the President and his people understand. We have done whatever possible for the government to change his position on such a sensitive issue, unfortunately it has all fallen on death ears. Therefore we need to compel the President to listen to the cry of the good people of this country,” Mr. Akandoh stated.