COVID-19: Give Us Daily Updates From Testing Institutions, Not Govt-Controlled Institutions — Sammy Gyamfi

Sammy Gyamfi, the Communications Director of the opposition NDC has raised concerns over what he described as "government-controlled Covid-19 situation."

He has accused government of being economical with information regarding its update of confirmed Covid-19 cases on its dedicated website.

Sammy Gyamfi believes it is time government start providing Ghanaians with daily updates directly from testing institutions in line with international best practice as pertains elsewhere.

According to him, government reported a total of 1,042 COVID-19 positive cases on the Ghana Health Service website on the 13th of April (9 days ago) and subsequently changed it to 834.

He said the move by government is to suppress data on our true COVID-19 situation.

"There is no gainsaying the fact that, the timely dissemination of information is critical to our collective fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with international best practice, we need daily updates directly from Testing Institutions and not government-controlled institutions on our COVID-19 situation as it pertains currently," he emphasised.

Read full statement below:

COMRADE SAMMY GYAMFI WRITES:

Folks, Government reported a total of 1,042 COVID-19 positive cases on the Ghana Health Service website on the 13th of April (9 days ago) and subsequently changed it to 834, all in an effort to suppress data on our true COVID-19 situation, an incident which has been condemned by no less a person than the renowned Pathologist, Professor Agyemang Badu Akosa.

It is interesting to note, that the 1,042 figure has remained unchanged despite the fact that media stations like Joy FM, Class FM among others, reported newly recorded positive cases in the northern, Eastern and Ashanti regions, in their evening news bulletins yesterday.

Dr. Nsiah Asare (Presidential Advisor on Health) assured the nation on PM Express that the Ghana Health Service was going to update their website to reflect the new recorded positive cases by close day yesterday. Yet, that has not been done as we speak.

This undue delay in updating our positive cases, is part of a deliberate attempt by government to suppress data on our true COVID-19 situation.

There is no gainsaying the fact that, the timely dissemination of information is critical to our collective fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with international best practice, we need daily updates directly from Testing Institutions and not government-controlled institutions on our COVID-19 situation as it pertains currently.

Ghanaians deserve better. People's lives matter more than political gains.

SAMMY GYAMFI Esq.