US health deal medical records are a ‘no-go area’ – Parliament health committee

Ghana must retain control over any medical records shared with external partners under international health agreements, the Chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee on Health, Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, has said.

He described medical records as a “no-go area” and said Ghana must first establish exactly what information an international partner is seeking before agreeing to any data-sharing arrangement.

Dr Nawaane said Ghana routinely provides international organisations with health statistics such as maternal and child mortality rates and life expectancy.

He, however, stressed that such aggregate statistics should not be treated in the same way as medical records.

“As a sovereign state, we decide what we put out there,” he said.

According to Dr Nawane, Ghana already shares health data with the international community, although some of the available information may not always be current.

He said the situation becomes fundamentally different when an agreement refers to specific medical records.

“Medical records are medical records. It should be a sovereign right to decide what to put out there for people to know and what not to put out there,” he stated.

Dr Nawaane said Ghana must carefully scrutinise the wording of any proposed agreement to determine exactly what is covered by a reference to “medical records”.

He questioned whether such a provision could potentially extend beyond national health statistics to information relating to specific groups.

“Is it that if they ask us for the aggregated medical records of politicians in Ghana, whether we should be able to supply them, or aggregated medical records of women?” he asked.

For him, the critical issue is not whether Ghana should cooperate with international health partners, but the scope, purpose and control of any information shared.

He said Ghana must be able to determine what information is released, who has access to it and how it can be used.

Dr Nawaane’s comments come after President John Mahama explained the government’s decision to reject a proposed US health compact intended to replace funding previously provided through the United States Agency for International Development.

He spoke on TV3.

President Mahama said the Ministry of Health reviewed the proposed arrangement and flagged provisions relating to pathogen information, medical records, counterpart funding and the inspection of medicines and medical products.

The President said Cabinet rejected the proposal after reviewing those provisions, describing some of the conditions as unacceptable.

The issue of health data has also featured in negotiations between the United States and other African countries. The Associated Press reported that Zimbabwe rejected a proposed health agreement in part because of concerns over a requirement to share sensitive health data.

For Dr Nawane, Ghana’s engagement with international partners should therefore be guided by clear limits on what health information can be shared.

He maintained that while health cooperation remains important, Ghana must preserve its authority over sensitive medical information and ensure that any data-sharing arrangement is clearly defined and subject to appropriate safeguards.