FLASHBACK: We have come of age to look at organ donation in Ghana - Mintah Akandoh

This story was first published by GhanaWeb on Monday, August 28, 2023, but in the wake of the announcement by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) that it will support kidney patients across the country with their dialysis sessions, at selected health facilities, we bring back this story as a reflection on the discussion.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Juaboso and a ranking member on the health committee in parliament, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has highlighted the need for Ghana to carefully consider the regulation of organ donation.

Acknowledging the complexities and ethical considerations involved, the MP emphasised the importance of striking a balance between advancing healthcare and protecting the rights of potential donors.

In an interview on GhanaWeb's Lowdown, the ranking member of the health committee stressed the significance of a mature conversation around organ donation in the country.

“It is a grey area when it comes to the health sector in this country. I am of the candid opinion that we have come of age to look at that section carefully to have a regulatory regime that will allow us to regulate that sector,” he said.

According to him, although there are potential benefits to organ donation, there's also the potential for abuse of the system.

Mintah Akandoh highlighted that the crafting of the regulations requires careful consideration.

He said this can be done by learning from the experiences of other nations and addressing the potential challenges that may arise.

“But I am not oblivious to the fact that there could be an abuse of the system. We sit in this house, and we make so many laws and sometimes on the hind side, you get discouraged making some of those laws. So, we must be very careful and learn from best practices across the world,” he noted.

One of Akandoh's central concerns is protecting the vulnerable within society from potential abuses that may arise because of regulation.

“We must be very careful about how donors consent, very important. The donor must have the capacity to consent before donating.

“The second issue also has to do with the fact that we will not subject the vulnerable in society to some of these abuses,” he added.

He continued “Again, we will have a registry for the nation where people can go and willingly register that when I pass, and there are any organs that can save any others, you can use those organs.”

Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.