The Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party, Richard Ahiagbah, has been accused by social media users of celebrating mediocrity with his call for commendations for the government for the arrival of childhood vaccines.

Richard Ahiagbah, in a social media posts on Saturday, March 11, 2023, announced the arrival of the vaccines.

In a follow-up tweet, Ahiagbah implored Ghanaians to praise the government for the effort put in to purchase the vaccines for the country.

The call from Ahiagbah infuriated some social media users who stated that but for the Akufo-Addo government, they wouldn’t have known that arrival of childhood vaccines is something to be celebrated.

The Ministry of Information on Saturday announced the arrival of the first consignment of the childhood vaccines.

“Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service receive first consignment of Measles vaccines, Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), a vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) disease and Oral Polio Vaccines.”

The ministry also added that the vaccines are being distributed to various facilities and regions as the country expects more to arrive in the coming weeks from multiple sources.

“Distribution to various regions and facilities underway. More vaccines expected in Ghana in the coming weeks from multiple sources,” wrote the Ministry of Information in a post on Facebook.

In the past week, there has been a widespread shortage of some vaccines used for routine immunisation of babies from birth to at least 18 months in the country.

The development has caused condemnation and critics by citizens who have blamed the government for its inability to provide basic healthcare.

Read some of the reactions below

Are you living in a bubble? Government should be commended for the shortage or what?

NDC is not an option as a lot of people say but your comments make them a more viable option.

Lazy PR!

— Snowden ???????? (@Kwadwo1105) March 11, 2023

Failures apologize to Ghanaians

— Theophilus Siameh (@tsiameh) March 11, 2023

Sensible government will never wait until childhood vaccine get finished before they make attempt to bring in some. Under @JDMahama and @OfficialNDCGh government this never happened because we are sensitive and responsible.

— Conquer (@azusime_michael) March 11, 2023

Five Babies have died since October 2022 from suspected Measles you know...

— MadameSability (@Mamayankah) March 11, 2023

I pay 2.5% of Salary monthly to NHIA, Every Taxable VAT item, I buy, I pay NHIA Levy but my Unborn Child risk getting Measles, Polio cuz there are no Vaccines and Needles ????.????

— Kafui Dogba (@DogbaAlex) March 11, 2023

useless govt that does nothing right.

— Philip Sowah Otu (@OtuSowah) March 11, 2023

You are not serious. We are not supose to get here at the first place. If you guys were proactive we wouldn't get here

— Bobby (@robertayelekesi) March 11, 2023

Is good the party chose you as their communications director, they needed someone to aid their exit from power and you’re doing just that with your communications. Keep it up!

— DeNice (@De_9yc) March 12, 2023

What responsiveness? You create a problem and when you resolve it, you want us to commend you? Sorry we can’t.

— Ransford B. Akoto (@rbakoto84) March 12, 2023

We must commend government for lack of necessity and making arrangement to provide a necessity? Mr Richard I want to believe you have lived in Ghana before because……

— Zahir (@eben_aubyn) March 11, 2023