The Ministry of Health has debunked claims that it has paid an amount of US$34.9million to Service Ghana Auto Group Limited.
This comes as a response to allegations by Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, indicating that the Ministries of Finance and Health, during the respective administrations of Ken Ofori-Atta and Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, paid the said amount to the company which is partly managed by two daughters of President AKufo-Addo.
But in a statement issued by the Ministry of Health and signed by its PR Unit Friday, July 26, 2024, it confirmed that there was indeed such a contract for the supply of spare parts for government’s fleet of ambulances to the tune of the said amount.
However, since the Finance Ministry said it could only pay US$10million out of the sum, the remaining was pushed to the Health Ministry to finance it through the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) who also noted it could not pay the amount.
The Ministry, is therefore denying that any such amount has been paid to Service Ghana Auto Group Limited as indicated by Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa.
“Subsequently, the Ministry of Health wrote to the Ministry of Finance
requesting the establishment of letters of credit for an amount of
$34,904,505.00 on behalf of Service Ghana Auto Group Limited for the procurement of spare parts for the 307 units of ambulances.
“The Ministry of Finance responded, indicating it could only fund up to $10
million of the requested amount and recommended that the Ministry of Health
explore financing the difference through the National Health Insurance
Authority (NHIA).
“The NHIA, in correspondence with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of
Finance, stated it was unable to fund the cost of the procurement of the spare
parts, as part of the 10% allocation to the Ministry of Health, because this was
not captured in the allocation formula approved by Parliament.
“The Ministry of Health would like to clarify that the Service Provider, Ghana
Auto Group Limited, has not been paid an amount of $34.9 million as widely
reported,” portions of the statement indicated.
Source:onuaonline.com