The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) is demanding the resignation of the health minister, Alex Segbefia, if one more death is recorded as a result of the recent outbreak of meningitis in the country.

The disease which broke out in December 2015 has so far killed 93 people, with 548 recorded cases. Central Region is the only region yet to record any case of the disease.

The Health Ministry disclosed on Monday that the disease had reached epidemic proportions especially in the Brong Ahafo region where it first broke.

With 359 recorded cases, 52 people have lost their lives so far in the region.

In a statement signed by the National Secretary of the PPP, Murtala Mohammed, the Party called on the Health Minister to “stop the meningitis now or resign if he does not have the necessary capacity to curb the menace."

The also questioned President Mahama’s commitment to dealing with the situation.

“President Mahama should not give us reason to believe that he does not care about the lives of Ghanaians. We are therefore demanding that the Minister of Health must work with a sense of urgency to ensure that no more lives are lost to this preventable disease. We are calling for the dismissal of the health minister if he does not resign after one more death is recorded.”

Below is a copy of the full statement

SEGBEFIA MUST RESIGN IF ANOTHER PERSON DIES OF MENINGITIS

The Progressive People's Party (PPP) wishes to express its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones as a result of the outbreak of meningitis in Ghana.

We are completely devastated at the report from the Ghana Health Service that 93 innocent Ghanaians have died over the past few weeks.

We commend the Ghana Health Service for intensifying their monitoring activities, field investigations and supplying antibiotics to affected patients. We believe that government must provide adequate funding to ensure that the disease is controlled. We cannot continue to count the number of people killed by this disease on a daily basis and not act with any seriousness.

President Mahama should not give us reason to believe that he does not care about the lives of Ghanaians. We are therefore demanding that the Minister of Health must work with a sense of urgency to ensure that no more lives are lost to this preventable disease. We are calling for the dismissal of the health minister if he does not resign after one more death is recorded.

When the minister appeared before parliament to explain his plans to secure lives in the affected regions, he was engaged in operational definitions of epidemiology and related scientific platitudes. How did he expect those definitions to stop the spread of the disease? At that time we had recorded 83 deaths and this has jumped to 93. We prefer his resignation to the loss of the 94^th person. The Minister has failed to save Ghanaian lives and he must resign if another person dies. After all, one life is far more precious and valuable than Ghc3.6million bus branding saga!

Ghana must learn from best practices to ensure the safety of every Ghanaian. The Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in five Florida counties due to the Zika virus.

This is a national health emergency issue and we cannot continue to pretend as if the disease is under control when on a daily basis we are losing Ghanaian lives.

Mr Alex Segbefia must stop the meningitis now or resign if he does not have the necessary capacity to curb the menace.

Signed

Murtala Mohammed

National Secretary