MP for Juaboso and Ranking Member of Parliament’s Health Committee, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has called on the government to release funds to the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) so that it can perform its functions effectively.

The lawmaker believes the FDA is currently under-resourced, which has hampered its ability to carry out its core function of ensuring food and drug safety.

According to him, it would have been wise to have an FDA facility in each district because it would aid in ensuring public safety, particularly in remote areas.

He believes that ignorance is greater in rural areas than in cities and that people in rural areas lack knowledge and understanding of food and drug safety.

Given this, he proposed that the FDA conduct random surveillance to rid the market of unapproved food and drugs in the interest of public safety.

He lamented that this has become difficult because the FDA lacks the necessary funding to carry out these activities.

”The level of ignorance in our rural areas is alarming, which is why people buy drugs and food without knowing how safe these products are. As a result, the FDA must conduct regular and thorough surveillance to ensure that only approved drugs and foods are available on the market.

However, if the FDA does not do its job as expected, the public’s safety will be jeopardised. When that occurs, we will have unwholesome and unapproved products on the market. Without adequate funding, the FDA would be unable to meet its goals. We have standards, and the FDA sets these standards. However, if they lack the funds to conduct surveillance and ensure that the standards are followed, we are doomed. We should do our best to find the resources to ensure that the food, water, and drugs we consume are safe.”

No government in our history, he believes, has ever denied the FDA funding.

”No government in our history has deprived the FDA of funds like the Akufo-Addo administration. You have a responsibility to fund the FDA so that it can function efficiently and ensure that only approved foods and drugs are on the market. As a result, I am urging the Ministry of Finance to immediately release funding to the FDA. We saw what they did in Assin North. They set aside money for elections. We saw bullion vans moving around Assin North, handing out Ghc200 to voters. As a result, they must immediately release funding to the FDA.”