7 Tons Of Donated Drugs Rot @ Port ...BCI Calls For Rescue

Breast Care International (BCI) Ghana, a health related Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), has appealed to the Ministries of Health, Transport, Gender, Trade and Finance to intervene to clear large quantities of drugs from the AVIANCE Warehouse at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), in order not to expire. The drugs, which arrived in the country in July 2014, including Cardiovascular, Antihypensive, Antidiabetic, Antineoplastic, Antibiotic and Mental health, among others, were to be distributed freely to needy patients who are being treated at various health facilities in the country free of charge. The officials at the AVIANCE at KIA were demanding a storage fee of Twenty Eight Thousand Four Hundred and Seven Ghana Cedis, Fifteen Pesewas (GH�28,407.15), an amount the Organization could not afford, with explanation that the drugs were for charitable work fell on deaf ears. BCI, paid DHL an amount of One Hundred and Forty Eight Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH�148,000.00) as handling fee. However, BCI as an NGO fears that these essential drugs which are to a greater extend needed most by the Accra Psychiatric Hospital and most of the Hospitals in the country to serve the needy but deprived patient for free may go bad at the warehouse because of financial challenges. Breast Care International (BCI), in July 2009, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), with the National Cancer Coalition (NCC) of Raleigh USA, and latter joined by the Americares, Food for the Poor, Kresbsalliarz GMBH and Direct Relief in the USA, to provide drugs, ecology training for Registered Nurses and other resources from the USA, and Europe to assist needy but poor patients in the country. About Sixty Million US Dollars ($60 million), worth of drugs have been distributed since the MOU was signed. The Organization therefore appealed to the Ministries concern to use their offices to offer total waiver of the storage duties, to aid in a prompt clearance of the consignments to serve the intended purpose.