The Minister-designate for Health Kaku Agyemang-Manu has admitted he is unaware that company in charge of the $150 testing at the Kotoko International Airport had no experience when they were given the job.
Responding to a question by Okudzeto Ablakwa, the MP for North Tongu, the Minister also noted he would be unable to disclose how the company was given the contract.
The MP pointed out to the nominee that there was no legislation giving the government power and the legal remit to charge each passenger $150, or award the contract to the company which he said was only registered on July 21, 2020, just a few days to the commencement of its operations at the airport.
He was asked to tell the Committee how the company, Frontiers Healthcare Services Limited won the contract and how they came by the amount of $150.
The nominee said it it would be difficult for him to answer because a Presidential Task Force is helping his Ministry to manage the outbreak.
The arrangement he said was put in place by the taskforce.
The Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu then interjected asking if the taskforce was a procurement authority to award contracts.
He said the Minority would be expecting the taskforce and its chair to appear before the House for questioning.
The nominee said this was not an anomaly because the country was faced with a challenge where people were dying and others were also preparing to travel hence it was part of an emergency.
He was further asked why the cost for testing was not brought before parliament for approval and in his response, he said the situation we found ourselves in could not allow them to have brought it before the House.
”The pandemic; we had a phrase we were using, that we were not in normal times. There were certain things we had to do and tried to rectify as we go forward because of the urgency of what we should do immediately.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com
