The Global Fund has given Ghana a final ultimatum to clear delayed tuberculosis (TB) and malaria medications, which were donated to the country over two years ago.
In April 2024, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) announced it had secured the tax waivers to enable it to clear the drugs after months of delay.
However, according to a staff member at the Global Fund Coordinating Mechanism Secretariat in Ghana, Samuel Hackman, the issue not only puts at risk the $45 million worth of drugs but also negatively affects Ghana’s relationship with the Global Fund.
“It is as bad as it was two months ago because the issue has not been fully resolved. This issue we are referring to is part of the $45 million commodities that were procured by the Global Fund under the GC Six Ghana, and part of it has still been held at the port. It’s very worrying. And it’s also denting the relationship that we have with the Global Fund as a country,” he said.
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He also revealed that the Global Fund is reconsidering its support for Ghana’s healthcare sector due to the prolonged backlog of TB and malaria drugs.
“They have stated categorically to us that they would have done that earlier [stopped providing Ghana with free TB and malaria drugs] but for the long-standing relationship they would want to hold on and see the promises that we have put on the table and whether we will be able to fulfil them or not, and it is within a specified time that we need to do that or count ourselves out,” he said.
Meanwhile, hospitals across the country are facing critical shortages of essential drugs, particularly TB medications, due to the backlog at the port.
The President of the Ghana HIV and AIDS Network, Ernest Amoabeng Ortsin, stressed the dire need for immediate action to resolve this problem.
“It is true that we have run out of stock for TB medications. It is also true that the Global Fund has indicated that it is going to cut ties with us as a country. When it comes to treatment for these two diseases, HIV and TB for example, if you are on medication and you stop, your body develops a resistance. So later on, when you go back to the medication, it doesn’t work. It will mean that you need to be taken unto a second line of medications which are even more expensive,” he said.
