President John Dramani Mahama has officially launched the Free Primary Healthcare policy, laying out in plain terms how a three-tier system stretching from community volunteers to specialist hospitals is designed to give every Ghanaian access to care from prevention all the way to treatment.
Speaking at the launch on Wednesday at the Shai-Osudoku District Hospital in Dodowa, President Mahama said the new policy was designed to fill the gap that the National Health Insurance Scheme alone could not close.
“The NHIS expanded coverage and affordability in a major way, but since we introduced the national health insurance scheme, we still have a lot of focus on underserved areas, especially in the rural areas,” the President said.
He described the health system as operating on three distinct layers. At the base, the Free Primary Healthcare policy covers screening, basic diagnosis and essential medicines at CHPS compounds, health centres, polyclinics and health kiosks, with only a Ghana Card or any form of identification required. No NHIS card is needed at this level.
The middle layer is the existing NHIS, which takes over when a patient’s condition requires referral to a district hospital for further treatment and medication.
The third and uppermost layer is Mahama Cares, a fund for conditions that go beyond district hospital capacity.
The President used kidney failure as his clearest illustration of how the chain connects.
A patient whose blood sugar is first detected at a free screening, managed through diet, then found to be worsening at a district hospital and eventually developing renal failure, would be referred to a kidney dialysis centre under Mahama Cares and receive dialysis free of charge.
“What are we doing? We are trying to prevent, especially, non-communicable diseases before they become complicated,” Mahama told the gathering.
He stressed that the Free Primary Healthcare policy was not coming to replace the NHIS but to complement it.
“It doesn’t mean that because the free primary health care has come, you shouldn’t get a national health insurance card. You should still have a health insurance card,” he said.
The policy will roll out immediately in 150 underserved districts, with the remaining districts joining in 2027 and full national coverage expected by 2028.
The President also took a moment to commend the Shai-Osudoku District Hospital, which he said he commissioned ten years ago during his first term.
He praised the facility for winning consecutive safe motherhood and zero maternal and infant mortality awards for several years, noting that its reputation had drawn patients from as far as the Eastern Region.
“It has gained global fame beyond the borders of Ghana,” he said, adding that he hoped all health facilities across the country would emulate the standard the hospital had set.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
