(My take on what’s going on in Ghana) June 21, 2015.
Last week saw some wrangling between two forces in Ghana, the parliament on one side and a team of medical researchers from Noguchi research center with the health minister, on other side. The cause of the wrangle is about clinical trial test on Ebola, which is to be done in the Volta Region.
The Parliament’s point was that, it had not been informed of such trial and therefore demanded the test be stopped. The researchers in their quest to find the treatment for Ebola, and having time as an enemy, probably did not follow the standard protocol for such clinical trial, which included informing the parliament. If this step, considered crucial in the process was ignored, the author’s question is how many of such similar clinical trials have been done on many Ghanaians without the knowledge of Parliament and the participants actually knowing. And how many of such tests have led to some kind of unintended consequences that we as Ghanaians are not aware of?
According to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are associated risks in clinical trials and recent evidence points to breach of ethical behavior by some researchers, (http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm143531.htm) that required that participants be protected from unreasonable risks. Therefore, it is in the right direction that Parliament is seeking that all procedures are within the acceptable risk level for the exercise to proceed, and that the participants are also well informed of the risk associated with the trials. (http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/18/8806407/chlamydia-vaccine-mystery-1960s).
Parliament, in their effort to understand the risk profile level, were told by the research team representative Prof. Alex Doodoo, that they were ignorants of which sparked fury from the parliament for lack of respect of the legislators. The consequences is that, now the enemy called “time”, is winning because now both parties are spending precious time fighting over bad choice of words rather than wholly focusing on and tackling the main issue, which is finding treatment to the ailment. Why Prof. Alex Doodoo said that, according to Ghanaweb news, was the Parliamentarians asked basic science questions. To the author, this was a missed opportunity that the Prof. could have used to educate the Parliamentarians on the risk level of the trial. Instead, he expected them to know what he did and to accept his presentation even though they were probably not well enlightened of the benignity of the trial. The Prof. at the time of his presentation was no longer looked at as a researcher but a salesperson who failed to sell his products. Now, instead of accepting his short-comings, he rather blamed it on his clients and science. Probably, he felt he could not fail because he was an excellent researcher. But, selling requires a good salesperson, with the top researcher (product maker) as a support.
In the Ghanaian society where the elites feel infallible, Parliamentarians alike, trample upon humility. In the end, rules are hardly followed and the laws are hardly enforced. The consequences is that many lawbreakers go unpunished, except the lower class, the powerless, who usually bear the blunt of the laws. It is many times incomprehensible as to why simple protocols are not followed. It appears to the author that there are actually no written down standard protocols for execution of many such projects or events, or if there are, they are continuously ignored, why because there are no checks and balances and no penalty for making errors, resulting in disorderly and dysfunctional system. Evidence is shown in: the recent mayor conference in Accra, the institution to investigate the BECE leaked examination, the unpermitted construction of Petrol filling stations, and the sudden destruction of structures right after the occurrence of the June 3 rain and fire incidence, among others.
The stake here is that Ebola is deadly and has very high fatality rate. Its medium of transmission is not clearly understood. People are still dying from it and people with weak immune system do not show the symptoms according to recent findings made in Liberia (http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=189047). The reaction of Parliament is reasonable based on the enormity of the economic stress this disease has bludgeon upon the affected countries, the unwillingness of the rest of the world to respond quickly to the plight of these affected countries, naturally creating fear and reservation among the unaffected countries. It is not surprising that the Parliament had a strong stance against the trial, which then required a stronger convincing to overcome that reservation.
The Noguchi research work is very important and will be great to go through the clinical trial to completion. One important thing for us all to take home is to recognize each other’s role and act with humility towards one another. Additionally, we should be willing to be transparent and not to think of forcing our way through issues or circumstances without clearly explaining the pros and cons to the public. We are all ignorant in one way or the other and it is not a disgrace not for knowing something. The problem is, pretending to know when you really know not, is what hurts the society. Therefore, my suggestion is that we should all eat the humble pie, explain to each other where is it that is not clear to the other in a respectful manner, and finish this great work that everybody is doing.
By Douglas Oti, Ph.D.
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