The United States Embassy in Ghana has responded to the country’s decision to reject a proposed bilateral health compact, with Washington defending its request for access to health-related data under the agreement.
The proposed compact was intended to establish a new framework for US health assistance to Ghana following changes to the way Washington provides international health support.
Under the proposal, Ghana was expected to receive about US$109 million in US health assistance over five years, alongside contributions from the Ghanaian side. However, Ghana declined to sign the agreement after reviewing several provisions.
The disagreement has centred largely on provisions concerning health data, funding commitments and the regulation of medical products entering Ghana.
President John Dramani Mahama recently explained that the proposed agreement was reviewed by the Ministry of Health before being submitted to Cabinet.
According to the President, Ghana raised concerns about provisions requiring the country to provide information relating to its pathogen profile and medical records.
He also said the agreement required Ghana to commit a specified amount of counterpart funding.
Another concern raised by President Mahama involved the role of Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA). He said the proposed arrangement contained provisions under which medicines and other medical products supplied through the programme would not be subject to inspection by the FDA.
Mahama said these conditions contributed to Cabinet’s decision to reject the compact. He described the terms as unacceptable and said Ghana would instead focus on strengthening its own health financing and production capacity.
The US Embassy, however, has defended Washington’s position regarding the collection and use of health information under the proposed arrangement.
The United States has maintained that health data is important to effective disease surveillance and public health planning. The US State Department has also said it does not disclose details of bilateral negotiations but remains committed to strengthening cooperation between Washington and Accra.
The proposed agreement formed part of a broader US health strategy under which recipient countries would take greater responsibility for addressing diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and polio while gradually moving towards greater domestic health financing.
Ghana’s decision came after negotiations between the two countries over the proposed framework.
The government has indicated that it remains open to international cooperation but wants any future health partnership to protect Ghana’s data, regulatory authority and national interests.
The disagreement has therefore not ended health cooperation between the two countries, but has highlighted differences over the conditions attached to the proposed new funding arrangement.
Ghana is expected to continue engaging international partners as it seeks to strengthen its health system and secure sustainable financing for public health programmes.
Source: Thepressradio.com
