Rural Health under Colonialism and Neocolonialism: A Survey of the Ghanaian Experience

Abstract

This paper discusses some of the implications of colonialism and neocolonialism for rural health in Ghana. The starting point for discussion is a critical review of the dominant ahistorical, atheoretical, and technocratic conception of the underdevelopment of rural health. It is argued that the problems of rural health cannot be fully explained without a consideration of Ghana's colonial and neocolonial experiences. It is necessary to examine the impact of the colonial capitalist mode of production on rural health and health care, as well as the mechanisms underlying the post-colonial entrenchment of the colonial legacy. The implications of the reformist approach to the problems of health are examined, and the possibility of a structural transformationist solution, which must start from the elimination of imperialist control, is assessed. It is concluded that the Ghanaian social formation, given its current constitution and crises, makes structural transformation the only viable alternative to solving the problems of rural health.