President John Dramani Mahama has called for a decisive shift from donor dependency to “health sovereignty,” outlining major domestic healthcare financing reforms at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday, May 18.
He said Ghana is increasingly relying on internal resources to fund healthcare, noting that the uncapping of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has released an additional GH¢3 billion (about $300 million) for health investment.
Mahama explained that reforms to the NHIS, including digital systems and artificial intelligence tools, are helping to reduce fraud, improve efficiency and ensure timely payments to healthcare providers. He stressed that trust between the state and health facilities remains central to effective healthcare delivery.
He also highlighted the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (MahamaCares), which is now operational to support treatment for non-communicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular conditions, liver disease and renal failure, describing it as a step towards equitable access to specialised care.
The President further announced that Ghana is on track to transition out of Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization support by 2030, with ambitions to eventually become a donor country. He also cited the rollout of a Free Primary Health Care Programme aimed at removing financial barriers to basic healthcare in rural areas.
Acknowledging funding setbacks, he noted that Ghana lost $78 million following the closure of USAID-supported programmes and warned that global health aid has declined by 40 percent.
He described the current moment as the “end of an era” for donor-driven health systems and urged global reforms focused on execution, resilient supply chains and equitable survival outcomes between the Global North and South.