ACCRA, April 13 — Ghanaian Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh said on Monday that Ghana is about to roll out the planned free primary health care program to help the country achieve universal health coverage.
Akandoh said during the Government Accountability Series at the presidency that the phased implementation of the initiative would begin with 150 districts.
“We shall begin with 150 out of the 261 districts, selecting underserved districts in every region. The ultimate aim is to get the whole country covered,” the minister said.
According to him, the government requires at least 1.2 billion Ghana cedis (about 109 million U.S. dollars) annually for the program’s successful implementation.
The program, Akandoh said, would not replace but complement Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme to ensure universal health coverage that includes the poor, vulnerable and underserved in the country.
The free primary health care was one of the key campaign promises for the health sector made by the ruling National Democratic Congress in the run-up to the December 2024 general elections to drive the country’s desire to achieve universal health coverage by 2030. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
