Ghana is reviewing a revised health financing agreement from the United States after rejecting an earlier proposal over concerns about national sovereignty, medicine regulation and the protection of health data.
Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh says the government will not rush into an agreement simply because the country needs external support for its health sector.
Speaking on Channel One TV, he said any partnership must respect Ghana’s laws and national interests while promoting cooperation between the two countries.
“No, I’m never under any pressure. Trust us to take the best decision in the interest of the country,” he said.
“We need partnership, but we need partnership with respect and dignity. So these fragmentations and tendencies and promises of partnership – no, we will have to move from dependency to dignity, from fragmentation to solidarity,” he added.
The original proposal, which was intended to replace health funding previously channelled through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was reviewed by the Ministry of Health before being submitted to Cabinet.
However, some provisions raised concerns, including a clause that would have exempted certain US pharmaceutical products covered by the agreement from verification or certification by Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).
Akandoh questioned how such an arrangement would affect Ghana’s ability to regulate medicines entering the country’s health system.
The government also raised concerns about provisions for sharing health information with the United States.
Akandoh said the government’s concerns were formally documented and submitted to Cabinet following President John Dramani Mahama’s directive that the matter be considered through the collective decision-making process.
The Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs were subsequently tasked with communicating Ghana’s position to their American counterparts. The United States has since submitted a revised memorandum of understanding, which is being reviewed before it returns to Cabinet for a final decision.
The review follows an earlier disclosure by President Mahama that Washington had requested further discussions with Accra to revise or remove the contentious provisions.
The government says no final decision will be taken until Cabinet has completed its assessment of the revised document.
