President John Dramani Mahama has called on the World Health Organisation (WHO) and global health leaders to place the welfare of people above the protection of institutions as discussions on reforming the global health system continue.
Delivering a keynote address at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, President Mahama said the world could no longer afford to protect outdated structures while millions of lives remained at risk.
According to him, the current global health architecture has come under severe pressure following cuts in international aid and humanitarian support, especially in Africa.
“But as a committed apostle of reform of world health architecture, I am concerned about whispers I have heard that the current draft resolution seeks to protect existing ‘organisational mandates’ and ‘prohibit’ the recommendation of mergers or consolidations,” he stated.
President Mahama warned that any reform process that avoids real structural changes would only amount to a symbolic exercise.
“If we launch a reform process that is prohibited from recommending actual reform, we are merely performing a ritual. We cannot prioritise institutional comfort over human survival,” he stressed.
The President further noted that the WHO’s credibility would depend on its willingness to honestly assess what works and what does not.
“The WHO’s legitimacy is not served by protecting silos. It is served by a fearless analysis of what works,” he added.
President Mahama also used the platform to advocate stronger health sovereignty for African countries, saying the continent must move away from donor dependency and invest in its own healthcare systems, medicine production and vaccine manufacturing.
He highlighted Ghana’s ongoing healthcare reforms, including the expansion of the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Free Primary Healthcare Programme and the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, also known as MahamaCares.
The President noted that Ghana had committed GHS 34 billion to the health sector in the 2026 budget as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery and expand access to millions of citizens.
President Mahama concluded by urging global leaders to focus on practical solutions that improve healthcare delivery rather than endless discussions and bureaucracy.
“The world does not need more communiqués; it needs deal rooms, local factories, and resilient supply chains,” he said.
Source: Mubarak Yakubu
