The Public Accounts Committee of Parliament headed by Dr James Klutse Avedzi has commenced a two-week public hearing to consider financial infractions and performance audits of the Food and Drugs Authority and other agencies.
Managers of the Food and Drugs Authority including the C.E.O, and personnel from the Ghana Health Service were interrogated on their operations. The examinations were based on the Auditor General’s findings presented to the committee.
The committee considered several reports submitted to parliament by the Auditor General focusing on the performance audits of the Food and Drugs Authority, Bank of Ghana’s forex exchange transactions, the performance report on the disposal of government vehicles by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Ghana Health Service and other agencies.
Public Account Committee
Standing Order 165 of Parliament assigns to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to examine audited accounts of public institutions showing the appropriation of funds granted by Parliament to the government.
In the wisdom of Parliament, the PAC is one of the only two committees of the House chaired by a member from the minority side of the Legislative body. This is to deepen the mandate of the committee in scrutinising properly, the audited accounts of government institutions.
Public Account Committee
Standing Order 165 of Parliament assigns to the Public Accounts Committee, PAC, to examine audited accounts showing the appropriation of funds granted by Parliament to the government.
In the wisdom of Parliament, the PAC is one of the only two committees of the House chaired by a member from the minority side of the Legislative body. This is to deepen the mandate of the committee in scrutinizing properly, the audited accounts of government institutions.
About the audit report
FDA has uncovered three giant Ghanaian pharmaceutical companies imported three brand of medicines; Oxytocin, Ecogormetrine and Quinine injections which according to the authority when given to women will fail to control bleeding after child birth as well as death.
Also a study carried out by professor Ofori-Kwakye and Mariam El-Dua found that 14 out of 17 sampled Artesunate tablets sold in pharmacies in Kumasi failed to meet European pharmacopeia content requirements.
The auditor-general per his mandate conducted a performance audit into the activities of the FDA.
The reason for the audit was to find out whether measures put in place by FDA to regulate importation and manufacture of medicines ensure that medicines are safe and meet the required quality standards.
Food and Drugs Authority
Food and Drugs Committee is mandated by the Public Health Act (PHA) Act 851, 2012 to regulate medicines on the Ghanaian market to ensure they are safe and meet the required quality health standards.
FDA has the responsibility to licence, register, undertake post market activities, control importation and undertake quality assurance procedure on medicines.
