President John Mahama challenged African governments to fundamentally rethink healthcare financing, arguing it should be classified as capital investment, not consumption. Speaking at the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit in Accra, Mahama asserted that viewing health expenditure as an economic drain is outdated and counterproductive. He positioned robust health systems as essential drivers of productivity, social equity, and national wealth creation.
Mahama cited World Health Organization research indicating every dollar invested in health resilience yields up to four dollars in returns, with even greater potential in Africa. “Health is the engine of productivity and the bedrock of inclusive growth,” he stated. The President illustrated this connection practically, noting prevented malaria cases mean regained workdays, avoided maternal deaths stabilize families, and vaccinated children secure future potential.
The Ghanaian leader called specifically on economists and finance ministers to revise national accounting practices. He insisted health budgets must reflect this true economic value to unlock vital funding and innovation. “Africa cannot continue to present health allocations as giveaways. They are growth enablers,” Mahama emphasized, urging health to remain central to continental development strategy.
Demonstrating commitment, Mahama announced Ghana is uncapping its National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), freeing over GHS 3.5 billion for additional financing. This aims to expand coverage, improve care access, and boost enrollment. He also highlighted the launch of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (MahamaCares), a public-private partnership targeting chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes through pooled government, private sector, and philanthropic capital.
Further, Mahama revealed plans for a national Primary Healthcare Programme supported by community health volunteers. This initiative focuses on strengthening preventive care, cutting long-term treatment costs, and ensuring early intervention, particularly in underserved rural areas. He framed these moves as economic necessity, pointing to Africa’s massive annual productivity losses from preventable diseases impacting employers, families, and youth potential.
The Accra summit convened prominent figures, including former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Mauritius’ Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, and WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. It served as a platform to advocate for health systems redesigned as engines of economic transformation across the continent.
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