President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), declaring that quality healthcare should be a right for every Ghanaian regardless of financial status.

Speaking at a durbar at the Ho Municipal Hospital during the rollout of the Free Primary Healthcare Programme in the Volta Region, the President described the initiative as one of the most transformative healthcare reforms in Ghana’s history, aimed at ensuring that no citizen was denied essential healthcare because of poverty.

President Mahama congratulated the Ho Municipal Hospital on its 100th anniversary, noting that since its establishment in 1926, the facility had served as the principal referral hospital in the region before the establishment of the Ho Teaching Hospital and continued to provide quality healthcare to residents.

He paid tribute to nurses and other health professionals for their dedication and urged them to emulate the compassion, sacrifice and professionalism of Florence Nightingale, the pioneer of modern nursing.

The President reminded health workers that kindness and empathy were as important as medicine, stressing that reassuring words and compassionate care could significantly improve patients’ recovery.

He assured nurses that the Government would continue to improve their conditions of service as the economy recovered and announced the recruitment of 16,000 nurses in two phases of 8,000 each to strengthen the country’s healthcare workforce.

President Mahama said most of the newly recruited nurses would be deployed to underserved communities and appealed to them to accept postings to rural areas in the national interest.

Explaining the rationale behind the Free Primary Healthcare Programme, he said although the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) had expanded access to healthcare, about 12 million Ghanaians remained outside the scheme, particularly those in rural communities.

He said the programme would provide free healthcare services at all Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds, health centres and polyclinics to ensure that every Ghanaian could access primary healthcare without paying user fees.

The President said preventive healthcare and early disease detection were central to the programme and encouraged Ghanaians to undergo routine medical screening at least once a year to detect conditions such as hypertension and diabetes before complications developed.

He commended the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) for endorsing the initiative and pledging the support of its nationwide network of health facilities, describing the partnership as critical to the programme’s success.

President Mahama announced that the Government had commissioned a modern cardiac catheterisation laboratory at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and was constructing cardiothoracic centres at the Komfo Anokye and Tamale Teaching hospitals, with similar facilities planned for the Ho and Takoradi Teaching hospitals next year.

He also announced the reactivation of the Korean EXIM Bank-funded project to upgrade the Ho Teaching Hospital after delays caused by Ghana’s debt restructuring, saying the project would enhance specialist healthcare delivery in the Volta Region.

The President highlighted the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as “Mahama Care,” as a complementary intervention to finance the diagnosis and treatment of non-communicable diseases, including cancer, kidney failure and cardiovascular diseases, which are not fully covered under the NHIS.

Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minister of Health, said the Government had distributed truckloads of medical equipment across the country to facilitate the implementation of the Free Primary Healthcare Programme, with another consignment delivered to the Volta Region.

He said although district and municipal hospitals were not direct beneficiaries of the programme, the Ho Municipal Hospital had also received medical equipment to strengthen healthcare delivery.

Mr Akandoh explained that Ghana’s healthcare reforms were anchored on three complementary pillars: the Free Primary Healthcare Programme, the National Health Insurance Scheme and the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, each serving a distinct purpose in achieving universal health coverage.

He said the Government had procured about 24,000 pieces of medical equipment for nationwide distribution and was introducing financial and non-financial incentives, including accelerated promotions and scholarships, to encourage health professionals to accept postings to rural communities.

Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, described the Free Primary Healthcare Programme as a landmark intervention that would shift Ghana’s healthcare system from curative care to prevention, health promotion and early disease detection.

He explained that community health nurses would undertake routine home visits, health education, disease surveillance, patient referrals and follow-up services, supported by telemedicine, school health programmes and community outreach activities.

Dr Peter Kwame Yeboah, the Executive Director of the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), reaffirmed the Association’s commitment to supporting the implementation of the programme through its nationwide network of health facilities and workforce.

He said the initiative reflected a people-centred approach that integrated preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative healthcare and urged health workers to seize the opportunity to leave a legacy of service.

Mr James Gunu, the Volta Regional Minister, thanked President Mahama for launching the programme in the region, describing good health as the foundation upon which citizens could fully benefit from government interventions, including the 24-hour economy, entrepreneurship initiatives and apprenticeship programmes.

He expressed confidence that the Free Primary Healthcare Programme would improve the health, productivity and overall well-being of residents of the Volta Region while accelerating Ghana’s progress towards universal health coverage.