Ghana is not yet ready to wean itself off donor support, according to Akim Oda MP and former Deputy Minister of Health Hon. Alexander Akwasi Acquah. He has warned that any sudden withdrawal could reveal serious fundamental flaws in the nation’s health financing system.
Speaking on PM Express, Mr Akwasi Acquah, a member of the Parliamentary Health Committee, emphasized that although independence is ideal, the current system cannot maintain essential health services without external support.
“Well, currently, I would say no, we just have to do something about it,” he stated.
His remarks come amid fresh discussion about Ghana’s capacity to finance its healthcare system on its own after the nation allegedly rejected a US health support agreement.
Mr. Acquah cited inefficiencies in the clearance of donated medical supplies at the ports as evidence that problems still exist even when aid is provided.
“Even though we had aid in terms of logistics from foreign partners, we could not just clear them from the ports,” he noted, adding that taxation of such aid further complicates access.
He questioned how, in the current circumstances, Ghana could maintain its health system without outside assistance.
“How do we survive if we say we want to wean ourselves totally from them?” he asked.
Mr. Acquah noted that the framework still relies on ongoing funding from development partners, citing the Abuja Declaration, which calls on African states to devote at least 15% of their budgets to health.
He underlined that in order to optimize available resources, the public sector’s inefficiencies and waste should be addressed as soon as possible.
“There is a lot of waste within our public sector. We have to look into our systems and cut it off,” he said, echoing similar concerns raised by economist Nii Moi Thompson.
He cautioned that the health sector is already seeing the effects of dwindling funding, especially in light of the United States’ diminished support.
“The health sector is suffering, because I know what is happening, especially when the USA and others got cut off,” he said, noting that several programmes had relied heavily on such funding.
The former Deputy Minister highlighted that program managers are becoming increasingly concerned about the sustainability of financing if immediate improvements are not put into place, according to recent interactions with the Ghana Health Service.
Mr. Acquah stated that Ghana must take advantage of the window of ongoing support to reconsider its finance strategy and bolster domestic resource mobilization, even if he acknowledged that other international partners are still involved.
“It gives us an opportunity to start looking beyond it. Let’s look at our source,” he added, urging a gradual and strategic transition rather than an abrupt exit from donor dependence.
About the Author
