President John Dramani Mahama has called for stronger, responsive and collaborative health regulation across Africa to protect patients and restore public confidence in healthcare systems.
He made the call in Accra when he addressed the 28th Annual International Conference of the Association of Medical Councils of Africa.
President Mahama said achieving universal health coverage must go beyond expanding access to healthcare, stressing that safety, quality, ethics and accountability must remain central to the delivery of health services.
He identified several emerging challenges confronting healthcare regulation across the continent, including the rapid expansion of digital health and artificial intelligence, migration of health professionals, forged qualifications, humanitarian crises and the growing spread of misinformation.
According to him, African health regulators must strengthen cross-border collaboration to effectively address these challenges and protect patients.
He urged regulators to improve systems for verifying professional credentials, strengthen the protection of health data and develop appropriate regulatory frameworks for digital health technologies and artificial intelligence.
President Mahama also cautioned that while AI presents significant opportunities for improving healthcare delivery, it must support rather than replace professional judgement and human responsibility.
On Ghana’s health sector, the President disclosed that the National Health Insurance Scheme currently covers about 76 per cent of the population, with government targeting 90 per cent coverage.
He further highlighted the rollout of the Free Primary Healthcare Programme in about 160 districts as part of efforts to expand access to essential healthcare services.
President Mahama also pointed to government’s efforts to increase local pharmaceutical production, which he said forms part of the broader agenda to strengthen Ghana’s health system.
The President urged African countries to deepen cooperation and build health systems that are “African in ownership, global in quality” while remaining firmly focused on protecting the public.
He subsequently declared the 28th Annual International Conference of the Association of Medical Councils of Africa officially open.
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com|Mavis Fantevi