President John Dramani Mahama has revealed that Ghana rejected a proposed $100 million health compact from the United States after the government raised concerns about conditions attached to the agreement.
Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, President Mahama said the Ministry of Health reviewed the proposed compact and presented its findings to Cabinet, where several provisions were flagged.
Reports describe the proposed deal as offering about $100 million in health funding, although other reporting on the negotiations has cited an initial figure of about $109 million.
“Who takes another country’s medical records?” Mahama questioned while explaining the government’s concerns.
He further said the agreement required Ghana to provide counterpart funding and would have prevented Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority from inspecting certain medications and medical products brought into the country under the programme.
Mahama described the proposed conditions as “humiliating,” saying Cabinet rejected the compact unusually quickly after considering the concerns raised by the Health Ministry.
He said the Health Minister was subsequently instructed to inform the US Ambassador that Ghana would not proceed with the arrangement
