President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that the United States is seeking further discussions with Ghana to amend or remove some provisions in a proposed $109 million health funding agreement that was rejected by Cabinet.
The compact was proposed as a replacement for health funding Ghana previously received through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Ghana rejected the agreement after reviewing its provisions, raising concerns that some of the conditions were humiliating and could undermine the country’s sovereignty.
President Mahama earlier explained that Cabinet rejected the proposed health compact over concerns about access to sensitive health information, counterpart funding requirements and the inspection of medical products.
According to him, the agreement was intended to replace some of the health assistance Ghana had received from the US following changes to American foreign aid policy.
He said the Ministry of Health reviewed the compact and recommended its rejection because it required access to Ghanaians’ health records as part of the agreement.
The President noted that several provisions had been flagged, particularly those relating to Ghana’s health data and regulatory authority.
Speaking at a citizens’ engagement in Goaso in the Ahafo Region, President Mahama said the United States had reached out to Ghana to review the agreement, creating room for further negotiations.
“I have already spoken about the health funding deal sought by the U.S. The latest is that they have reached out to review the deal, and there is room for further discussions,” he said.
President Mahama maintained that Ghana remained firm in protecting its sovereign rights as discussions on the proposed health funding agreement continued.
Under the proposed agreement, Ghana would have been required to share health records with the United States for a period of 25 years, even though the aid programme itself was designed to last only five years.
More significantly, the agreement granted the US broad discretion over how that data could be used, including the possibility of sharing it with American pharmaceutical companies for research, product development and other commercial purposes.
