President John Dramani Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to expand Ghana’s pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity, with the goal of reducing the country’s dependence on imported medicines.
He said the government had received a five-year plan aimed at achieving greater self-sufficiency in the production of medicines for the domestic market and creating opportunities to export to neighbouring countries.
President Mahama was speaking at a Free Primary Health Care (FPHC) programme at Zuarungu in the Bolgatanga East District.
He disclosed that about 70 per cent of medicines currently used in Ghana were imported, despite the country’s capacity to produce many of them locally.
“We import 70 per cent of the drugs that we use. But we have the capacity to produce those drugs here ourselves,” President Mahama said.
He said the plan had been presented to him by the National Vaccine Institute, the Ministry of Health, the Pharmaceutical Association of Ghana and other allied institutions.
He explained that developing local pharmaceutical production would help reduce the cost of medicines and strengthen the government’s ability to provide treatment under the FPHC programme.
“If we can do that, it will allow us to procure the drugs at a cheaper cost. And that makes it easier for us to provide more of these medications to our people at a primary health care level,” he said.
President Mahama said the government had meanwhile entered into agreements with pharmaceutical manufacturers to ensure that medicines needed by patients were available.
He specifically mentioned medicines used in the management of hypertension and diabetes, including metformin and other prescribed drugs.
The President further highlighted measures to strengthen the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), saying that the government had uncapped funding for the scheme and was making payments to healthcare providers on time.
He said NHIS tariffs had also been reviewed to better reflect the actual cost of treatment. “As a result, there should be no co-payment at any health facility because we fully covered the cost of treatment.”
He urged health facilities participating in the NHIS to comply with the policy and not demand additional payments from patients for services covered by the scheme.
President Mahama further outlined investments under the Ghana Medical Trust Fund to support patients suffering from serious conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases and renal failure.
He said the government was also equipping major hospitals with specialist diagnostic and treatment infrastructure, including CT scanners and catheterisation laboratories.
A cardiothoracic facility being developed in Tamale would provide advanced treatment for patients from the northern parts of the country, he said.
President Mahama said the combined measures were intended to improve access to healthcare across the country and reduce the financial burden of illness on households.
“Health is wealth. You need a healthy population to be able to make a wealthy nation,” he said.
The President was accompanied by Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minister of Health, Dr Dominic Akurutinga Ayine, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, and Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, Minister of State for Public Sector Reforms.
The rest included Mahama Ayariga, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central; Haruna Iddrisu, Minister for Education; his Deputy, Dr Clement Abas Apaak; James Agalga, MP for Builsa North Constituency; and Dr Thomas Winsum Anabah, MP for Garu, among other government officials.
