Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minister of Health, has revealed that the NDC-led John Mahama government’s free primary healthcare initiative will be rolled out by January 2026.
The health minister emphasised that the free primary healthcare initiative is aimed at giving real meaning to preventive healthcare, enabling early detection and effective management of diseases.
According to Mintah Akandoh, the free primary healthcare is to remove cost barriers and improve access to healthcare.
Speaking at the 23rd Annual General and Scientific Conference of the Medical Superintendent’s Group in the Eastern Region on Tuesday, October 14, the Health Minister detailed, “As part of our journey towards universal health coverage, one of the major hindrances is cost.
Although we have the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), many Ghanaians — especially from certain parts of the country — are not subscribers. Currently, only about 56 per cent of the population is enrolled”.
“What the government is developing now is to ensure that at least primary healthcare is free across the country. This will allow us to strengthen preventive care so we can detect diseases early and manage them properly,” he added.
The Health Minister also announced that the government will be retooling healthcare facilities across the country.
In related health news, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has also revealed that the government will extend its subsidy of dialysis to private health facilities.
According to the Health Minister, the development comes after President John Mahama directed that the government’s dialysis subsidy be extended to private health facilities.
Speaking at the inauguration of a 13-member governing board for the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, also known as “Mahama Cares”, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh stated, “The current arrangement for payment of dialysis is that if you go to public health facilities, we have a maximum amount of money we pay per session—that’s around 499, something about 500 Ghana cedis.
What we have realised is that there are people who also go to private facilities, and so, it’s a necessity; the President has directed us to give what is paid to the public facilities,” he explained.
He further detailed, “So, for example, if you go to private facility A and they are charging you 1,000 Ghana cedis, the government will pay the 500 Ghana cedis, and you top up, to be fair to everybody. So, the CEO for the National Health Insurance has been directed accordingly to take up that challenge”.
“And finally, to also add my voice to the appeal the chairman made to corporate Ghana. We cannot do it all alone. It is the partnership between the government and corporate Ghana that will take us far. There are other corporate bodies who have come on board, like Telecel Group of Companies, and there are some banks as well,” he said.
In related health news, the Minister of Health has announced that unpaid junior doctors will be migrated to the public payroll.
He made this announcement, revealing that the government had secured clearance and commenced the migration of hundreds of unpaid junior doctors.
According to the Health Minister, the Junior doctors started their work without clearance.
Speaking to the media in Accra on Monday, October 13, Mr Akandoh stated, “You recently heard some junior doctors threatening to go on strike. They had started work without clearance, without salaries, without pay”.
“Again, we collaborated with the Ministry of Finance, and as I speak to you now, we have succeeded in getting them clearance, and they are being migrated onto the payroll”, he added.