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A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Rapid Response Team in the fight against the novel coronavirus, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has asked President Akufo-Addo to get his priorities right in the fight against the pandemic COVID-19.

According to the former Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in the erstwhile John Dramani Mahama administration, inasmuch as President Akufo-Addo can go on a borrowing spree to fight the pandemic, he should first release the available funds to support the doctors and the nurses who are complaining of lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at the various hospitals.

Speaking on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, the Juaboso lawmaker bemoaned the fast mode in which the COVID-19 is running as the country in a few days back had only two (2) confirmed cases but now has a record of more than 50 cases.

“We are not saying that the government should not borrow money outside to help fight the novel coronavirus but the issue is that the COVID-19 is spreading very rapidly as only two were the first confirmed cases but as at Tuesday evening, we heard the case has reached 52 and today I am hearing a different figure but I don’t want to speculate”, he opined.

“…the point is, I want to see is that the government is coming up with rapid measures and so if you come out to announce that you have 1 million dollars and maybe you are making plans to go to the IMF for a loan or the World Bank for a loan, the government should at least release some funds immediately to start the fight and move forward,” he stated.

To him, the good people of Ghana are interested in seeing that they are protected first against the novel coronavirus as it has now become a taboo for people to cough in public, especially in hospitals since the advent of the COVID-19.

“This COVID-19, initially when it was not recorded in the country, some people used to cough but today if you can't risk coughing in public since you could be tagged a suspect and so everyone wants to protect themselves first before something bad happens”, he reiterated.

Hon. Akandoh maintained that the center of the argument of the NDC Rapid Response Team has to do with the availability and release of funds by the government to fight the coronavirus.

“Everything we are saying today about the Coronavirus is money and so that was why we drew the attention of the government to it that with the issue of funds; the government should act quick about it and source for resources to fight the Coronavirus because this is the time that whatever we are doing as a country, we have to suspend it and channel our attention to the fight against COVID-19. People want to be in good health and remain alive first before they can enjoy other developments in the country”, he insisted.