Mandatory vaccination is against fundamental human rights of citizens – CFELAG

Portrait an unknown male doctor holding a stethoscope behind

The Center For Excellent Leadership Accountable Governance (CFELAG) has rejected the compulsory vaccination exercise in Ghana introduced by the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

The Executive Director of the Centre who is a private legal practitioner, Dr. Z.O. Hunter said at a press conference that the compulsory vaccination violates the fundamental human rights of each citizen.

“Recently, there have been concerns about the government actions to make vaccination mandatory from January 2020 of which we see it as infringement on the basic fundamental human right as enshrines within the great constitution that gave birth to our democracy.

“First of all, we do not stand against the vaccination but have great concerns about the mandatory vaccination which we believe is tantamount to the basic fundamental right of each citizen of this country since people are proving immunity to the virus, having side effects to the regarding taking the vaccines, etc. when we take a look at the Public Health Act 851 (2012) it states that;
Public vaccination Section 21.

“(1) A public vaccinator shall vaccinate, free of charge, persons who present themselves or are presented for the purpose, or persons who are or become liable to be vaccinated. (2) Subsection (1) does not apply where, vaccination would be injurious to health, or where there is satisfactory evidence that a person is already successfully vaccinated or otherwise has natural immunity to the disease.”

As part of measures to reduce the coronavirus pandemic to its lowest ebb, the Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Health (MoH), has declared the month of December 2021 as the mandatory vaccination month.

The exercise is also to ensure that the yule does not become a springboard for an increment in infection rate since there will be high rate of movement of persons.

Addressing a press conference in Accra on Sunday November 28, the Director-General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Kumah-Aboagye said vaccination was the surest way to deal with the spread of the virus, hospitalization and also deaths..

In accordance with the mandatory vaccination directive, organizations, corporate bodies and institutions are adopting mandatory vaccination to compel staff to take the Jab.

TV3 can confirm the exercise is gradually gaining grounds in the country.

Laud Adu-Asare reports that while only public sector workers have been mandated by government to take the vaccination jabs, some private firms have already begun demanding same from employees.