President John Dramani Mahama has stood by Ghana’s decision to turn down a proposed health compact from the United States, describing the conditions attached as demeaning and unacceptable.
The compact, intended to replace funding previously provided through USAID, was put before Ghana’s Cabinet after a thorough review by the Ministry of Health. Addressing the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, President Mahama explained that the Ministry had flagged numerous problematic provisions in a Cabinet Information Paper.
Chief among the concerns was a clause requiring Ghana to hand over its pathogen profile and national medical records to the United States. “It states that we shall give the United States our pathogen profile. It also says we should give our medical records. I mean, who takes another country’s medical records?” Mahama questioned, highlighting the sensitive nature of the request.
In addition, the compact called for Ghana to provide counterpart funding and exempt imported medicines and medical products from inspection by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA). These conditions, Mahama said, were not only impractical but also compromised Ghana’s sovereignty over its public health system.
“It was humiliating. And so it was the compact that was thrown out in record time in our Cabinet. I’ve never seen anything thrown out as fast as that,” Mahama recalled.
While the deal offered $100 million in funding to African countries hit by U.S. aid cuts, Ghana’s leadership felt the price was simply too high, a stand President Mahama says was necessary to protect the nation’s dignity and autonomy.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com