Coronavirus: Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament divided over evacuating Ghanaian students in Wuhan
Some members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament are trading contradictory views on whether to evacuate Ghanaian students in Wuhan.
Member of Parliament for the Nsawam Adoagyiri constituency and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Frank Annor Dompreh, says parliament must allow health professionals to do their work.
In an interview with Citi FM monitored by theghanareport.com, Mr Dompreh said, the Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Badu Sarkodie, has advised the government against the move to evacuate Ghanaian students from Wuhan.
Coronavirus: Don’t evacuate Ghanaian students in Wuhan back home – GHS
“We must allow the professionals to do their work, they know the preparedness of the country,” he said
But the minority spokesperson on the Foreign Affairs Committee and MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa thinks otherwise.
According to him, Parliament must be proactive and order the evacuation of Ghanaians the deadly Coronavirus
“Instead of sitting back and hoping that professional will do a good job, we must invite them and ask them about what they are doing”
“The World Health Organisation (WHO) has advised countries to evacuate their nationals and quarantine them for 21 days, just as Nigerian, Tunisia, France etc…. we can simply do same by following the WHO rules,” he said.
Some 170 Ghanaian students in Wuhan, have appealed to the government of Ghana to evacuate them following the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Ghanaian students in China demand evacuation back home over outbreak of coronavirus
But instead, the government sent them $4200 as a stipend to cater for their basic needs.
According to Mr Ablakwa, the move will not help the stranded students rather the government should evacuate them
“Sending them money will not help them in any way, and how do you expect 170 students to share $4200, things are getting worse as the days go by, our students are helpless, they are our nationals and we must protect their lives” he noted.