Abuakwa South MP calls for stronger health laws

Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, has made a passionate appeal to African lawmakers to enact and enforce legislation that will eliminate health injustices and ensure universal access to quality healthcare across the continent.

Delivering a keynote address at the 5th Federation of African Law Students (FALAS) Continental Conference at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dr. Agyemang challenged parliaments across Africa to take a legislative stand against health inequality.

The conference, themed “Legislating for Health Justice: Advancing Universal Health Coverage in the Pan-African Context,” brought together young legal minds and policymakers from across the continent to explore how laws can be used as tools for advancing public health and social justice.

Dr. Agyemang emphasized that the journey toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC) cannot rely solely on infrastructure and policy announcements.

Instead, he said, it must be underpinned by laws that guarantee equality, accountability, and accessibility for all citizens.

“The future of Africa’s public health depends not only on the hospitals we build,” he stated, “but on the laws that determine who can access them.”

He recounted a heartbreaking story of a young mother who walked over six kilometres to the nearest health centre to give birth, only to find that the nurse on duty had no delivery kit.

“She wrapped her newborn in her scarf and whispered that she was grateful her baby survived,” Dr. Agyemang said.

“That moment reminded me that, in many parts of Africa, giving life is still a dangerous journey. Legislation must not only allocate funds — it must protect dignity.”

According to Dr. Agyemang, this story mirrors the daily reality of countless African families who live far from healthcare facilities, lack medical supplies, and face the dire consequences of weak health systems.

“No woman should risk her life or her baby’s life because of a missing delivery kit,” he declared. “Health justice must not remain a dream — it must become a legislative duty.”

He called on African parliaments to move beyond rhetoric and commit to comprehensive legal reforms that make healthcare equitable and accessible for all, irrespective of income or geography.

“Building hospitals is not enough,” he argued. “We must build systems that ensure no patient is turned away because of poverty, distance, or governance failures. Health injustice anywhere in Africa threatens the dignity of all Africans.”

Linking his call to broader continental goals, Dr. Agyemang urged African lawmakers to align national health laws with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Africa Health Strategy, both of which envision a healthy and prosperous Africa driven by inclusive development.

He emphasized that parliaments must strengthen their oversight roles to ensure health budgets are not only approved but implemented effectively.

“Oversight is the conscience of democracy,” he said. “Laws without monitoring are empty promises. When parliaments demand transparency — when they ensure budgets reflect real human needs — justice moves from paper to people.”

On financing, Dr. Agyemang insisted that African governments must allocate a fixed percentage of their annual budgets to healthcare, focusing not only on hospital infrastructure but also on preventive medicine and community-based health initiatives.

He warned that the persistent gap between rural clinics and urban hospitals continues to cost lives.

“The distance between a rural clinic and an urban hospital can mean the difference between life and death. Equity begins when we close that gap.”

He also called for inter-parliamentary collaboration across Africa to create shared legislative platforms for health justice — mechanisms that allow countries to exchange laws, data, and best practices.

“When nations share knowledge and innovation, no community is left behind,” he added.

Dr. Agyemang commended the African Union’s efforts through institutions such as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the African Medicines Agency (AMA), describing them as crucial frameworks for integrating health policies across the continent.

He encouraged member states to adopt and harmonize health standards to ensure that access to safe and affordable healthcare becomes a continental reality.