Executive Director of the Africa Center for Health Policy Research and Analysis, Dr. Thomas Anaba, has revealed that the backlog of medical supplies donated by the Global Fund has resulted in a spike in cases of tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS.

The supplies, which encompass antiretroviral drugs for HIV/AIDS patients and mosquito nets for expectant mothers, have been detained at the Tema Port since July 2023 due to import duties.

Due to the delays in clearing these goods, the Global Fund has halted further shipments of crucial medical supplies.

Speaking to Bernard Avle on the Citi Breakfast Show on Citi FM, Dr. Anaba expressed concerns about the potential escalation of tuberculosis, malaria, and AIDS cases compared to last year's statistics.

“There is an increase in the cases of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS from last year’s figure, and the complications of people dying from AIDS has also increased. Women getting malaria during pregnancy has increased because of this.”

“Ghana has the statistics of how many people get tuberculosis, malaria and AIDS every year and this can be planned with a top-up percentage of 10 percent and then we can budget for how much of these drugs that we need and then we contact Global Fund on how much they can give us ahead of time and then we budget for money to clear the drugs.”

He recommended that Ghana proactively communicate its supply needs to the Global Fund in advance and allocate funds for timely clearance to prevent future delays.