How Ghana lost out on a $30m medical equipment donation because of non-waiver of taxes

0
151

Reports say Ghana rejected some $30m worth of medical equipment due to taxesReports say Ghana rejected some $30m worth of medical equipment due to taxes

Listing out the problems for which the country has been up in a social media rant, fueled by the #FixTheCountry and its allied hashtags, against the government are issues of the poor and dilapidated healthcare system across all respects of the sector.

Surely, the news of anyone, from anywhere in the world, lending a generous hand of help to the country, and donating medical supplies worth a whopping $30million should have been embraced with all hands open but you’d be shocked to read this.

Ten years ago, according to reports seen online, and attributed to accounts of Dr. Abdullah Hadi, an accomplished medical doctor and a specialist neurosurgeon at the Neuroscience Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana literally rejected a donation of medical supplies from the United States.

Explaining the details of what actually transpired, a journalist with an Accra-based media house, Caleb Kudah, described how a hospital was willing to let go of some medical equipment for Ghana on account that the country waived all taxes on them.

“According to Dr. Abdullah Hadi Mohammed, a neurosurgeon at Korle-Bu Teaching hospital, a senior colleague of his secured medical equipment valued at 30million dollars from a military hospital in the US, the equipment are nowhere to be found.

“All they required was for Ghana to facilitate the transportation and waive taxes on the equipment. This happened 10years ago,” journalist, Caleb Kudah, posted on his Facebook page.

He further explained how another colleague of Dr. Abdulluh’s had to also pay huge taxes on some specialized equipment he had procured as a donation to the hospital.

“But things haven’t changed. Dr. Abdullah Hadi Mohammed reveals that in a recent development another senior colleague had to pay taxes on specialized equipment he had procured for Korle-Bu as a donation.

“He adds an observation that as a country tax exemptions have been granted for the construction of hotels and clearing of cars,” the post concluded.

News about the bad nature of the Neuroscience Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital came and its accompanying challenges came to light after Michael Kofi Asiamah, a 13-year-old boy, unfortunately, died after he had complications, after what was supposedly a successful brain surgery last month.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here