President John Dramani Mahama has explained why Ghana rejected a proposed US health deal that would have provided about $109 million in funding over five years, citing concerns over data sharing, counterpart funding and the inspection of medical products.
According to President Mahama, the agreement was reviewed by the Health Ministry and later flagged by Cabinet over several conditions Ghana considered unacceptable.
He said one provision required Ghana to provide the US with its pathogen profile, including information on diseases and disease-causing organisms in the country.
“They also say we should give our medical records. I mean, who takes another country's medical records? And so that was strange,” he said.
President Mahama also said Ghana would have been required to contribute funding to the programme and that the agreement placed restrictions on the Food and Drugs Authority’s ability to inspect medicines and other medical products brought into the country.
He described the conditions as “humiliating” and said Cabinet rejected the compact.
“And then it also says that any medications or any medical products that shall be brought into our country, our Food and Drugs Administration has absolutely no rights to inspect,” he said.
Ghana’s rejection of the proposed agreement was previously reported over concerns about sensitive health data. The Associated Press reported that the deal could have given up to 10 US entities access to Ghana’s health data, including metadata and other health information, without prior approval from Ghana.
President Mahama said Ghana instead informed the US ambassador that it would manage its healthcare needs without the funding.
“We asked the health minister to inform the US ambassador that we didn't need it, we'll manage ourselves,” he said.
