Former Member of Parliament (MP) for Anyaa Sowutuom, Dr. Dickson Adomako Kissi, has warned that Ghana’s healthcare financing system is in a state of deep crisis, far below international standards and in urgent need of reform.
Speaking on the state of healthcare funding, Dr. Adomako Kissi lamented the lack of collective contribution by citizens, corporate bodies, and insurance institutions to support the nation’s public health system.
He argued that in many developed countries, healthcare delivery is supported not only by government funds but also by private donations and corporate investment. However, in Ghana, he noted, such practices remain rare.
“Let me put on record that our healthcare financing in this country is not at par with other places. In other jurisdictions, insurance companies supporting healthcare would also have many institutions providing support”
Dr. Dickson Adomako Kissi, Former Member of Parliament for Anyaa Sowutuom
Dr. Adomako Kissi observed that the culture of contributing to public healthcare is nearly non-existent in Ghana and across much of Africa. He expressed disappointment that both individuals and organizations often overlook their responsibility in supporting a sustainable healthcare financing structure.
“In Ghana, Africa, our mentality is quite unfortunate, very different. We need to rethink, as ordinary Ghanaians, the need to not only pay for our own healthcare but also the health of the nation as a whole because we are in a very deep pit in terms of healthcare financing in this country”
Dr. Dickson Adomako Kissi, Former Member of Parliament for Anyaa Sowutuom
He called on Ghanaians, corporate entities, and insurance firms to emulate global best practices by donating to improve healthcare funding. His remarks come in the wake of Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh’s recent announcement that the Ministry of Health had secured financial clearance for 17,909 nurses, midwives, and allied health interns who began national service in early 2024.
The Minister also disclosed that 13,500 nurses and midwives have gone ten months without salaries, raising questions about the sustainability of Ghana’s health financing framework.
According to the Ministry of Health, the clearance forms part of the government’s effort to stabilize the healthcare workforce and address the long-standing salary arrears that have strained health personnel nationwide.
Saving NPP
In a separate political development, Dr. Adomako Kissi, who is a member of the Bryan Acheampong campaign team, urged delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to “drop” Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in the upcoming flagbearership race if the party hopes to return to power.
Drawing a biblical analogy, he compared the former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to Jonah, suggesting that the NPP must make a difficult but necessary decision to prevent the party’s decline.
“I didn’t really want to go there, but in the last primaries, he underperformed in Greater Accra, and in Greater Accra, we won only two in the presidency out of the 34. Greater Accra is not very responsive to him like they are responding to Dr. Bryan Acheampong, and that one is not me, it’s the euphoria I am accessing from behind”
Dr. Dickson Adomako Kissi, Former Member of Parliament for Anyaa Sowutuom
Dr. Adomako Kissi emphasized that Dr. Bawumia’s declining popularity is a sign of waning confidence within the party’s base and must not be ignored for the sake of the party’s survival. “It is not just about one individual,” he added, arguing the prudence in the NPP sacrificing one man for the many.
Dr. Adomako Kissi further argued that the NPP’s poor showing in the last presidential election calls for bold restructuring. He cited the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as an example, noting how the opposition party replaced its parliamentary leadership to regain strategic advantage in key regions.
“Let me commend the NDC – when they realised they had to remove Haruna Iddrisu to win the Central Region, they did it. Haruna Iddrisu is a colossal figure yet the NDC moved him from Parliament as a leader so that they could win the Central Region”
Dr. Dickson Adomako Kissi, Former Member of Parliament for Anyaa Sowutuom
Meanwhile, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is expected to begin a nationwide campaign tour on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, as part of his efforts to secure the NPP flagbearership.
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