Ghana’s Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has begun a series of stakeholder engagements with health sector leaders as the government intensifies preparations to roll out its Free Primary Healthcare policy in March.
The meeting, held with frontline professionals and senior health officials, was described by Akandoh as a listening exercise aimed at gathering technical input to refine the policy before it is submitted to Cabinet and Parliament for approval. The initiative is a flagship pledge in the governing party’s 2024 manifesto and is anchored in the Health Sector Medium-Term Development Plan for 2025–2029.
Officials said the consultations are intended to ensure that the policy is practical, sustainable and responsive to challenges within the country’s primary healthcare system.
Presenting the technical framework, the Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Ministry of Health, Dr Belinda Afriyie Nimako, said the policy builds on existing healthcare delivery structures. These include Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds, health centres and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), while introducing reforms designed to expand access and strengthen preventive care.
Dr Afriyie Nimako said the policy will be financed through a blended payment system that combines the current fee-for-service model with population-based payments. She explained that the approach is intended to incentivise preventive healthcare, while equity and performance adjustments will be applied to support underserved and hard-to-reach communities.
Under the policy, she said, primary healthcare services will be free at the point of use, with no requirement for NHIS registration. The benefits package will include preventive and promotive services, basic curative care, essential medicines, basic diagnostic services, maternal and child healthcare, mental health services and emergency stabilisation.
Health sector leaders at the meeting were invited to provide feedback on implementation challenges, financing mechanisms and service delivery gaps to help strengthen the final design.
The Ministry of Health said further consultations and technical work will continue in the coming weeks as preparations advance towards the planned March rollout, which the government says is aimed at improving access, reducing financial barriers to care and strengthening Ghana’s primary healthcare system.