Vice President of policy think tank, Imani Africa, Bright Simons has expressed shock over the response given by the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) over queries on activities of Frontier Healthcare Service at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
Mr Acquah, a Journalist with the Multimedia Group, had in a letter dated September 9, 2022 requested, through the Right to Information (RtI) bill, Act 2019 (Act 999) the GACL to furnish him with information pertaining to how much Frontier Healthcare Service made from the covid-19 testing at the KIA.
But the GACL in a response dated September 19, 2022, says they have no knowledge of how much Frontier Healthcare Service made from the covid-19 testing at the KIA.
The GACL went further to say in the said letter signed by its Managing Director, Mrs Pamela Djamson-Tettey that it is “unable to confirm the amount of money derived from COVID-19 testing because passengers paid directly to Frontier Healthcare, providers of the service”.
Reacting to this however, Mr Simons says he is surprised a state owned institution will say it does not know how much Fronteir Healthcare Service earned from an agreement it entered with them.
“A Ghanaian state owned (GACL) enters a revenue sharing deal with another (Frontiers).
“GACL is asked how much Frontiers made from the deal. GACL says it doesn’t know. So how does GACL know it wasn’t cheated of its share? See why Ghana gov’t has money issues?” He added.
During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic the Health Ministry in September 2020 contracted Frontier Healthcare Services to conduct testing at the airport from all persons entering the country from outside.
The aim of the agreement was to test and isolate the infected persons for treatment at various treatment centres and limit the importation of the disease into the country through KIA.
The 30-minute PCR COVID-19 test attracted a US$150 fee for non-Ecowas citizens while those from the West African countries were charged $50.
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