The government is poised to officially roll out the Free Primary Healthcare (FPHC) initiative on September 1, 2025.

The flagship program is to guarantee all residents in Ghana, particularly the vulnerable populations access to essential, affordable, and equitable healthcare services, a key step towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Senior Director in charge of special initiatives, who serves as the FPHC Focal person, Dr. Anthony Gingong, disclosed the date at a Technical Committee meeting held in Accra.

The high-level meeting brought together representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA), the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), the World Health Organization (WHO), and Results for Development (R4D).

Dr. Anthony Gingon pledged the NHIA’s determination to augment the government’s desire to improve the general well-being of all residents in Ghana through promotive and preventive healthcare.

Dr. Chris Atim, Senior Technical Advisor to the Chief Executive of the NHIA, underscored the need for alignment on the principles and modules underpinning the policy.

“Today is about learning the delivery mechanisms for free primary healthcare because there is a need for alignment for us. We need alignment on the principles and the modules itself on what it contains and what we are going to roll out come 1st September 2025,” he said, noting that all services at the CHPS level will be free under the policy. He added that setting up primary care networks across the country would be a priority.

Dr. Koku Awoonor, Technical Advisor to the Minister of Health, said the meeting’s outcome would shape a blueprint to guide the national rollout.

“The outcome of this meeting is going to guide the technical committee to be able to come out with a pathway for which Free Primary Healthcare will follow. There are a lot of communities that are deprived and disadvantaged, and they need health services,” he stressed.

He also emphasised the importance of Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in strengthening service delivery at the frontline.

During her presentation, Elizabeth Hammah, Associate Director of the Health Systems Strengthening Accelerator project at R4D, explained that the original intent of primary care networks was to support health financing reforms that enable CHPS facilities to function effectively.

“Primary Care Networks bring facilities together so that they can deliver a broader package of services with a shared, patient-focused system of delivery,” she noted.

Mr. Robert Adatsi, former Head of Clinical Services at the Volta Regional Directorate of GHS, outlined a phased approach to forming Primary Care Networks.

“Phase one is sensitisation—adequately informing healthcare providers, managers and staff about the reasons and potential benefits the network will bring,” he said. Dr. Alphonse Makafui Dzakpasu, Acting Director for Clinical Services of GHS in Ho, recounted the improvements seen under primary care networks.

“There were challenges such as a poor referral system and unhealthy competition among health workers. The networks have helped to improve referral systems and overall healthcare delivery,” he explained.

In her closing remarks, Dr. Caroline Reindorf Amissah, Acting Deputy Director General of GHS, called for a stronger focus on preventive and promotive care.

“We agree that we are doing very well with static or clinical services, but we are missing our preventive and promotive services. NCDs have become key, and we need to change the way we are doing things,” she said.

The meeting represented a significant step towards uniting stakeholders and refining strategies to guarantee that the Free Primary Healthcare Policy will effectively broaden access to quality healthcare services nationwide.

Source: Shaniece Palm Photo

Credit: Nyarko Danso & Samuel Larbi