The Ministry of Health has announced that it has received GHC7.4 million from the government to clear locked-up commodities from the Global Fund at the Tema port. This development comes after the Minority Caucus in Parliament issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the government to clear the commodities that have been at the port for over a year.
The Global Fund for Community Foundation donated the medical supplies to Ghana free of charge, but the government and the Ministry of Health have taken over a year to clear the life-saving commodities. The government is only required to pay taxes, levies, and port charges for the clearance of the commodities, estimated at US$3.6 million.
After months of pressure, the Ministry of Health announced that it has received funds for the clearance of the locked-up commodities, including TB medication. The Ministry received 283 containers of various commodities from the Global Fund through the Tema port.
With the financial clearance from the government, the Health Ministry plans to clear the remaining containers by the end of June 2024. The Ministry received GHC7,429,694.39 from the Ministry of Finance to pay demurrage for the clearance of all Global Fund outstanding containers at the Tema Port.
This amount will complement the payment of third-party charges, and all outstanding containers are expected to be cleared by the end of June 2024. The Ministry of Health expressed its pleasure at receiving the funds and assured that it will work to clear the commodities and ensure their distribution to improve healthcare in Ghana.
Below is the full statement from the Health Ministry:
