Abrogate opaque, illegal Coronavirus testing contract with Frontier Services – Sammy Gyamfi

Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress has advanced reasons for the abrogation of the contract between the Government of Ghana and Frontier Healthcare Services for the administration of coronavirus testing at the Kotoka International Airport.

Sammy Gyamfi holds that the deal which is shrouded in secrecy is a rip-off and that a local laboratory could have been engaged to offer the same services at a lower rate.

He urged Ghanaians not to tolerate the deal and demanded an immediate abrogation of the contract.

“The cutthroat charge of $150 per antigen test” at Kotoka smacked of profiteering which should not be countenanced by Ghanaians. We are talking about something that has become an essential tool for risk minimisation in the fight against Covid. An essential tool for slowing down the spread of the virus, here we’re talking about testing.

“And so the affordability of that tool is very important because now it’s become an essential service. And that is why in some countries, these tests are done for people for free. People don’t even pay anything for it because of how important and critical it is to the fight against the spread of the pandemic.”

“That the deal and the circumstances under which that company was engaged is shady, opaque, illegal and that the terms of the transaction, the amount being charged for the antigen test is a rip-off. We think that what is happening is a clear case of profiteering which should not be countenanced by the people of this country.”

Sammy Gyamfi explained that due to the opaque nature of the deal, the NDC, through its MPs, is “using this vetting process to hold to account persons who are entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that these things are done for the welfare of the people”.

Government’s contract with Frontier has become an issue following revelations by some appointees that they are not privy to the details of the contract.

Health Minister-designate, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, told Parliament that he is not in the known about the deal.

Kwaku Agyeman-Manu justified that “in the pandemic, there were certain things that we had to do and try to rectify as we go forward because of the urgency of what we should do immediately.”