Does Ghana have developmental priorities? Vaccine shortage versus Independence Day Celebration

Over a few weeks ago, there have been reports of a shortage of vaccines for the six killer diseases of children in the country. Some medical doctors as well as other stakeholders expressed strong views against the 66th celebration of Ghana’s Independence Day for very convincing reasons on various media platforms.

The Minority in Parliament wanted the Health Minister, Agyemang Manu to address the people’s representatives about why health facilities have no vaccines leading to a rise in cases of TB, Measles, etc. among children in Ghana. No satisfactory answers were given to that effect.

Although Ghana’s developmental challenges are humongous and concerning, I chose to limit this piece to the shortage of critical vaccines for children at the retirement age of 66 years as an independent nation.

I was wondering why the government was proceeding with the Independence Day

celebration in Adaklu of the Volta Region amid the current economic quagmire which needs restructuring of both external and domestic debts to creditors and lack of sustainable jobs for the youth, and coupled with critical vaccines shortage for children.

No one is even remotely suggesting that Independence Day is irrelevant and irrational. The question is, should the day have been celebrated in such an elaborate, expensive manner in this year of economic austerity and falling standard of living conditions in the country? The answer is NO!

The future of Ghana lies in healthy and well-trained children, who will grow up to steer the affairs of our nation in the absence of the elderly. Conversely, Ghana has no future if her children will be neglected to be maimed, and killed by commonly known and preventable six killer diseases of children worldwide.

The failure of the Health Minister and for that matter the government to provide

satisfactory reasons for the shortage of critical vaccines for children is scandalizing, unacceptable, and unpardonable.

As a child growing up in my village, I suffered from Measles and I know how terribly bad it was at the time. That was in the late 1990s. It is, thus, shameful to hear now that there is limited supply of critical vaccines for children against the six Killer diseases.

It is Ghana that suffers when her future in the children born now are left to die with their talents and dreams for themselves and the nation.

Commemorations of birthday celebrations can always be postponed or remembered in

moderation when times are hard economically. So why the government did not skip the 66th Independence Day celebration on 6th March 2023 and rather replace that with the pressing demand for vaccines for our children?

This tells many others and me that, Ghana has not set her developmental priorities right and needs rethinking and refocus to ensure all-inclusive and sustainable development in line with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of which Ghana is a signatory.

The authorities concerned should ensure that the shortage of vaccines for the children in the country is speedily procured to avert a looming and calamitous future for the country.