‘We shouldn’t allow their drugs in just because they’re giving us $100m’ – Dr Nawaane
Ghana must not surrender the regulatory authority of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) over medicines and other health products in exchange for foreign financial assistance, Chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee on Health, Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, has said. He insists that the FDA must retain the final responsibility for examining and determining whether medical products entering Ghana are safe…
Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, the Chairman of Ghana's Select Committee on Health, has warned against ceding the Food and Drugs Authority's (FDA) regulatory power over medicines and health products in exchange for foreign aid. Dr Nawaane insists that the FDA must maintain the final authority to evaluate and decide if imported medical products are safe for use in Ghana.
He questioned why Ghana should permit medicines provided through an international assistance program to evade the country's own regulatory procedures. "We shouldn't allow their drugs in just because they’re giving us $100m," he said. Dr Nawaane highlighted the FDA's standing, noting that Ghana has already achieved Maturity Level 3 under the World Health Organisation's regulatory system, indicating a robust, well-functioning regulatory framework.
The FDA was one of the first African countries to attain this status. Consequently, Dr Nawaane asked why Ghana should relinquish the authority of a body with a proven regulatory mandate simply because the products are being supplied as part of foreign aid. He emphasized that a product's safety at the time of production should not exempt it from regulatory scrutiny upon arrival in Ghana.
Dr Nawaane also pointed to the creation of the African Medicines Agency and questioned why Ghana should not continue to exercise its own regulatory responsibilities over products entering the country. His comments come as there are concerns over provisions in a proposed US-Ghana health compact concerning the regulation of medicines and other medical products.
President John Mahama stated that the proposed arrangement would have prevented the FDA from inspecting certain medicines and medical products under the program. He cited this provision, along with clauses regarding medical records, pathogen information, and counterpart funding, as reasons why Ghana rejected the compact. For Dr Nawaane, the issue is not about accepting foreign aid, but whether such assistance should come at the expense of Ghana's ability to independently protect public health.
He maintained that foreign assistance should complement Ghana's regulatory systems rather than override them.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
