The erstwhile Mahama government is reported to have procured about 30 ambulances estimated at 2.4 million Euros but the vehicles are lying in waste.
The vehicles procured are said not to be fit for the purpose for which they were purchased.
Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu made this shocking revelation during a familiarization tour of some health facilities in Accra.
He toured the Tema General Hospital, Tema Medical Stores, La General Hospital and the Air Force Base where the ambulances are kept.
Mr. Agyemang disclosed that during transactions, it was detected that though the ambulances meant for the National Ambulance Service (NAS) were supplied, the Ministry didn't accept them because their specifications were not desirable for them to be used as ambulances.
Payments have however been made by the Mahama government through the Bank of Ghana to the supplier of the ambulances, although they were rejected for being below the required standards.
The 30 vehicles purchased at a cost of 80000 Euros each were part of the 200 ambulances that were meant to equip NAS in its emergency health response across the nation.
Providing further information on the deal on Joy FM's "News file" on Saturday, the Minister of Information Mustapha Hamid indicated that the contract was single-sourced to one Richard Dzakpa, a former aide to former National Security Coordinator, General Nunoo Mensah.
He said the contract which was awarded to Richard Dzakpa's company called Dzakpa@Business in 2010 by the previous government, did not go through any competitive bidding process.
He stated that "Richard Dzakpa of Dzakpa@Business was just asked to supply these ambulances to the Ministry of Health".
The company consulted with a foreign dealer called the Big Sea which made the Dzakpa@Business their local agents.
However, after the arrival of the vehicles into the country, a technical examination of the vehicles in 2015 by global automobile manufacturers of Mercedes Benz - a model for the ambulances - revealed 18 threatening defects on each vehicle.
A technical report dated February 10, 2016 noted that the supposed ambulances are better off being used as 13-seater mini-buses because they were unsuitable for conversion into ambulances.
A German automobile company also disclosed the electronic gadgets fitted in the vehicles as being of "very poor quality" which could potentially endanger lives.
Commenting on the procurement of the ambulances on News file, seasoned journalist Abdul Malik Kweku Baako was alarmed over the deal.
Kweku Baako was absolutely "speechless" as he couldn't advance his submissions on the deal.
All he could say was "this thing stinks".
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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John Dramani Mahama and the entire leadership of the NDC need Jesus.
Brig. Gen Nunoo Mensah also stands to be questioned. Very disgraceful and sad to see Lt (rtd)Dzakpa who could not pass Promotion Exams and had to be sacked from the Ghana Army to dupe the whole country under the supervision of the man who claims to be double CDS and an anti-corruption campaigner. My God, this bellicose has become so rich and driving V8s and showing off all over Burma Camp because of Nunoo Mensah. I cry for my country. So Lt Dzapka owns a company and can get contract into such capitalized deals? What did Ghanaians do to suffer these atrocious corruption under John Mahama and his cohorts. Lord have mercy. Brig. Gen Nunoo Mensah should bow his head in shame.
Baako must ***barred word*** with his dirty hypocrisy. The amount of money and properties u have acquired under kuffour and continue to acquire under akuffo addo for no work are million times bigger and higher than what u are making noise about.
One of the biggest mistakes we did as a nation was to allow John Mahama to become our president. He presided over corruption and thereby ruined this nation
this is what you get when ayariga, ofosu kwaakye and co are ruling ghana
FOR ONCE INUSA FUSENI SHOWED STATESMANSHIP. HE AGREED IT WAS A BAD DEAL; THAT THE CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT SHOULD NOT BE HONOURED AND THAT PAYMENT MADE SHOULD BE RETRIEVED. PERHAPS, HE HAD NO CHOICE BECAUSE THE CASE WAS SO BAD AND SHAMEFUL TO DEFEND. HE OFFERED NO RESISTANCE TO THIS CORRUPTION OF MAHAMA GOVERNMENT. HE SHOWED CLEARLY WITHOUT ANY AMBIGUITY AT NEWSFILE THAT THE DEAL WAS A SHAMBLE WHICH HE WOULD NEVER HAVE AUTHORISED IT IF IT HAD BEEN HIM.
THE NAME MAHAMA MUST BE EXPUNGED ENTIRELY FROM GHANA POLITICS. PRESIDENT MAHAMA WAS NO LEADER. HE HAD NO CONTROL OVER THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM. EVERYBODY DID WHAT HE WANTED. THE LOOTERS COMPETED AMONG THEMSELVES OF WHO COULD LOOT MOST. IT WAS A SHOCK TO LEARN AT NEWSFILE THAT BAGBIN WAS THE HEALTH MINISTER FOR THIS ROTTEN DEAL AT THAT MINISTRY. IT IS A SHAME TO HIM IF IT WAS SO. HE IS EMPTY BARREL WHO MAKES NOISE FOR NO ACTION. HE IS USELESSSS IN MANAGEMENT AND CANNOT BE A RESPONNNSIBLE LEADER FOR ANY OFFICE. PARLIAMENT SHALL ALWAYS BE HIS LOT. HE CAN TALK HIS TALKS AND GO TO SLEEP. IT IS SAD HE FAILED THE NATION BY SUPERVISING SUCH ANOTHER GAGANTUAN CORRUPTIONNN AT THE HEALTH MINISTRY. WITH THIS DEAL, HE GOES DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE WORST HEALTH MINISTER IN MODERN GHANA. HE IS REALLY A WASTEEEE.
Can u convert a mini bus into an ambulance or a cargo plane into a passenger type? Create, loot and share at its worst!
Can u convert a mini bus into an ambulance or a cargo plane into a passenger type? Create, loot and at its worst!
This is not rocket science. This is just a supply problem. The only thing to do is to inform the supplier of the variation in the specs delivered and that needs to be rectified which I think the ministry has already done. The supplier will deliver the rest of the parts and send a technician to fix them or ask the ministry to find the technicians to fix them the supplier to pay for the work done finish. What is all this ***barred word*** about this simple issue. Sometimes our politicians and journalist behave as if they are from the ***barred word***.