Sammy Gyamfi – Communications Officer of NDC
By Julian Owusu-Abedi
A lawyer and Communications officer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi in the company of three others has sued the Attorney General (AG) and the Ghana Heath Service (GHS) over the scheduled mandatory Covid vaccination exercise.
Government introduced the mandatory vaccination exercise as part of efforts to deal with the coronavirus pandemic to ensure that the rate of infection does not rise during the Christmas season.
Among the measures, “Airlines who board passengers without proof of payment for the COVID -19 test and would/could not pay for the test in Ghana will be fined US$3500 per passenger.”
But Sammy Gyamfi and his three other friends are of different opinion and had publicly opposed the government’s decision to compulsorily or forcefully vaccinate Ghanaians and even foreigners hence their move to test their resistive stance in court.
Here are some of the reliefs they are seeking for as captured in their Suit No. HR/0019/2022; “A declaration that the impugned directives of the Respondents breach or threaten to breach the Applicants’ fundamental human rights as enshrined under Article 21(1)(g) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
“A declaration that the impugned directives of the Respondents violated Section 2(1) of the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (ACT 1012) and Sections 21, 22 and 30 of the Public Health Act, 2012 (ACT 851) and therefore illegal.
“A declaration that the impugned directives of the Respondents contravene the guidelines of the Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana on the administration of Emergency Use Authorized medical products and same are unreasonable.
“A declaration that the impugned directives of the Respondents contravene the guidelines of the World Health Organization regarding proof of COVID-19 vaccination for international travellers, and that same is unreasonable.
“A declaration that the impugned directives of the Respondents contravene medical ethics and best practices that govern COVID-19 vaccine administration.”
The month of December has been declared by the GHS had as the vaccination month.
Addressing a press conference in Accra on Sunday November 28, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kumah-Aboagye said vaccination was the surest way to deal with the virus.
He further assured that the authorities are going to scale up surveillance measures at the Kotoka International Airport during the Christmas season to ensure that Covid infections do not increase.
He further said that the mistakes that were made in December last year which occasioned the escalation of infections in January this year, will not be repeated.
There is going to be a “strict enforcement of the protocols at the KIA. We are going to increase surveillance. We are expecting increased number of people to arrive in the country.
“We are going to ensure that our logistics are prepared, we will continue our surveillance to be able to look at that, we are going to look at isolation centres,” he said.
He added “Our contact tracing will be strengthened.
“We are going to engage with religious organizations to ensure that activities in done in Christmas are in accordance with Covid protocols.”
Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr Anthony Nsia Asare, allayed fears of persons who are worried about the potential reaction from taking the covid vaccine.
He stated that it is normal to experience headache, body pains and other reactions. These are indications that the vaccine is functioning properly in the body, he said.
“If you are vaccinated and you feel slight headache it means the vaccine is working very well,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday December 4 with Dzifa Bampoh.
Dr Nsia Asare further urged all persons who are yet to receive their vaccines to do so in order to save their lives and the lives of others.
In his view, Ghana cannot afford to go through fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic hence the government, through the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has taken the vaccination exercise a step higher in order to get as many as possible inoculated.
Vaccination centres, he stated, are being created closed to the people in the communities including market areas to make it easier for them to go through the exercise.
“We cannot afford a fourth wave,” he said, adding that “we can all do this together if you are vaccinated,” he said.
The GHS) this week issued new guidelines to deal with the coronavirus pandemic in Ghana ahead of the Christmas season.
The guidelines include measures to vaccinate as many as possible before the Christmas on December 25.
In a press releases issued on Thursday December 9, the GHS said “All persons, 18 years and above arriving in Ghana will be required to provide evidence of full vaccination for Covid-19 vaccines.
“All unvaccinated Ghanaians and residents of Ghana who are currently outside the country and intend to return within 14 days from the midnight of 12 December 2021 are exempted. However, they would be vaccinated on arrival at the airport.”
It added “all Ghanaians traveling out of the country are to be fully vaccinated effectively 12th midnight 2021.”
