Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has disclosed that President John Dramani Mahama has instructed all his appointees to submit any agreement or contract they are uncertain about to Cabinet for direction.
The directive, according to the Minister, informed his ministry’s decision to refer the controversial United States (US) health compact — subsequently rejected by government — to Cabinet for consideration.
President Mahama recently revealed that his administration turned down the US health compact intended to replace USAID funding, describing its terms as “humiliating.”
“We received the health compact from the US to replace USAID funding, and we flagged several things in it. One, it said we shall give the United States our pathogen profile, and it also said we should give our medical records. I mean, who takes another country’s medical records?” the President said in an interview on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“And then it also says that any medications or medical products brought into the country, our Food and Drugs Authority has absolutely no right to inspect. It was humiliating. I have never seen anything thrown out as fast as that. So of course, we rejected it for peanuts — 10 and something million dollars,” he added.
Following the President’s Interview in US
Speaking on Joy News, Akandoh confirmed that the ministry received the compact but sent the document to Cabinet in line with the President’s standing instruction.
“Let me tell you what the President keeps telling all ministers. Anytime you are not too sure about a decision you are taking, please bring it to Cabinet,” he said.
With that in mind, the ministry prepared an information paper and submitted it to Cabinet, and it said that “health sovereignty and the Accra Reset do not mean isolation. It doesn’t mean we don’t need partnership. We have a fantastic relationship with the American people, but on this occasion, we are not ready to sign that agreement”.
‘Humiliating Terms’
When asked whether he agreed with the President’s characterization of the compact as humiliating, Akandoh responded in the affirmative.
“Why not? If pharmaceutical products are being brought into the country and my authority — the FDA — has no right to verify the potency of that medication, that is about the health of the people. Indeed, that can be described as humiliating,” he stated.
He cited, among other unacceptable provisions, the condition that the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) would have no mandate to inspect or review drugs imported into Ghana from the US.
“We can’t review it. The FDA will not have that mandate. And there were many other issues — most of the information we were supposed to give them was our data, whether in aggregation or in isolation,” he noted.
Cabinet’s Bold Decision
Cabinet ultimately rejected the compact, and the ministry was directed to communicate the decision to the American government.
The Minister revealed that had the ministry unilaterally signed onto the compact — as over 20 African countries have done — “the President himself will chase you.”
Akandoh also offered insight into how Cabinet processes submitted documents, without disclosing specifics.
“When you are submitting a Cabinet memo or information paper, you attach recommendations. Sometimes you provide about three options and recommend one of them. You then invite Cabinet to debate, and they either disagree with you or agree with you,” he explained.
By Gifty Boateng