Ghana’s Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, on Friday inspected a consignment of more than 24,534 pieces of medical equipment valued at GH¢500 million, procured by the government to support the nationwide rollout of the Free Primary Health Care (FPHC) programme.
The inspection, conducted on April 3, 2026, comes less than two weeks before President John Dramani Mahama’s confirmed April 15 launch date for the Free Primary Health Care Programme, which the government describes as a cornerstone of its Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda.
The equipment procurement directly addresses a gap the Health Minister had acknowledged earlier this year. While admitting that challenges remained within the primary healthcare system, including infrastructure and equipment gaps, he had stressed that the government was committed to retooling facilities to improve service delivery.
The policy is initially targeting 100 deprived districts across the country, with the broader goal of reaching all parts of Ghana by 2028.
Under the policy, Ghanaians and legally resident foreigners will be able to access basic healthcare services without paying at the point of care, by presenting valid identification such as a Ghana Card, voter identification card, or National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card.
The Health Minister has said the free primary healthcare policy will cover an estimated 70 to 80 percent of the average Ghanaian’s health needs, with the strengthened NHIS supporting access to secondary and tertiary care.
An amount of GH¢1.5 billion has been earmarked for the initiative, which focuses on enhanced promotive and preventive care to ensure early detection and effective management of diseases.
President Mahama has called on civil society organisations to support public education and monitor implementation to ensure the programme achieves real impact.
