Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, has urged African lawmakers to take decisive legislative action to bridge the continent’s widening healthcare gap and ensure that access to quality health services becomes a fundamental right for all citizens.
Delivering the keynote address at the 5th Annual Federation of African Law Students (FALAS) Continental Conference at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dr. Agyemang challenged African governments and parliaments to move from policy declarations to binding legislation that guarantees Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and protects human dignity.
The conference, which brought together legal scholars, law students, policymakers, and AU officials from across the continent, was held under the theme “Legislating for Health Justice: Advancing Universal Health Coverage in the Pan-African Context.”
Dr. Agyemang began his address by reflecting on his journey from Accra to Addis Ababa, describing how the aerial view of Africa reminded him of the continent’s shared destiny and its unequal realities.
“As our Ethiopian Airlines flight soared from Accra, we crossed the skies above Togo, Benin, Nigeria, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan before descending over the rugged highlands of Ethiopia. Looking down, I saw one Africa — the same rivers, forests, and farmlands, the same vibrant communities and faces. We are one people, yet our realities are profoundly different.”
He likened Africa’s pursuit of health justice to a “continental flight,” noting that while all countries may have boarded the same journey toward UHC, “our destinations and speeds often differ,” shaped by history, governance, and resource disparities.
According to Dr. Agyemang, achieving health justice must begin with legislative intent backed by constitutional recognition, comprehensive health laws, and effective oversight mechanisms.
“Health justice is the heartbeat of development. It calls for a legal order where access to quality health care is not a privilege for the few but a right guaranteed to every citizen,” he said. “To legislate for health justice is to legislate for human dignity.”
Drawing lessons from Ghana’s experience, he cited the National Health Insurance Scheme as a landmark effort to expand healthcare access, but cautioned that legislative reforms must be continuous, data-driven, and inclusive.
“Ghana’s National Health Insurance Act was a pioneering step toward equity in access. But legislative action is not a single event. It must be a living process — informed by evidence, revised financing, and stakeholder participation.”
He stressed the need for parliamentary oversight and policy coherence, urging lawmakers to harmonize fragmented health laws that often cause inefficiencies in service delivery.
“Oversight is the conscience of democracy,” Dr. Agyemang asserted. “It ensures that ministries deliver, budgets are properly applied, and citizens’ voices are heard. When exercised with diligence, such oversight becomes an instrument of justice for the voiceless.”
To illustrate the human cost of weak systems, the Abuakwa South MP shared a poignant story from his constituency.
“A few years ago, I met a young mother who had walked more than six kilometres to reach a health centre, only to find that the nurse on duty had no delivery kit. She wrapped her newborn in her own scarf and whispered that she was grateful her child had survived,” he recounted. “That single encounter taught me that legislation must not only allocate funds; it must protect dignity.”
Dr. Agyemang observed that across Africa, similar stories abound — from community health workers in Malawi wading through floodwaters to deliver vaccines, to mobile clinics in Kenya powered by solar energy, and midwives in South Sudan transforming their pain into advocacy.
“These are not acts of charity; they are acts of justice in motion,” he said. “They remind us that the pursuit of Universal Health Coverage is ultimately a pursuit of equity and empathy.”
He further emphasized that health justice must be Pan-African in scope, calling for deeper cooperation among African Union member states to build resilient, interconnected health systems.
“Disease, like poverty, knows no borders. A child’s cough in Lagos, a cholera outbreak in Harare, or a malaria surge in Kisangani can ripple through the continent if we do not stand together,” he warned. “If we can integrate our skies through the African Continental Free Trade Area, surely we can integrate our health systems.”
Citing examples such as the African Medicines Agency and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Dr. Agyemang said continental collaboration can ensure that “the safety of a medicine approved in Nairobi can be trusted in Accra or Addis Ababa.”
He also commended Ethiopia for its leadership in health diplomacy and its commitment to regional cooperation, describing it as a model of how “shared responsibility can become a national ethos.”
In his appeal to the next generation of African legal minds, Dr. Agyemang challenged young lawyers to see themselves as champions of equity and human dignity.
“Every argument you present in court, every brief you write, and every policy recommendation you make can bring health closer to the people who need it most,” he told the audience. “Health justice must not be an abstract principle debated in parliaments; it must be a lived experience that touches the heart of every African home.”
Dr. Agyemang concluded his keynote with a stirring call to action, urging African nations to rise above political divides and work collectively to deliver on the promise of health justice.
“The future of health justice in Africa will not be written by chance. It will be written by those who stand for equity, compassion, and action,” he said. “Let us legislate, innovate, and collaborate to create a continent where every citizen enjoys the right to health, the freedom to thrive, and the promise of justice.”
The conference participants — drawn from universities, legal bodies, and policy institutions — hailed Dr. Agyemang’s address as one of the most thought-provoking contributions to the ongoing continental discourse on health law and governance.
Many described his message as a “wake-up call” for African legislators to move from “policy rhetoric to practical reforms,” reinforcing the notion that the health of every African citizen is both a moral and legal imperative.
