The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has initiated stakeholder consultations with health sector leaders as the government prepares to implement the Free Primary Healthcare program in March.
The minister described the conference as a listening exercise, with the goal of gathering technical advice from frontline health experts to enhance the policy before submitting it to Cabinet and Parliament for approval.
The Free Primary Healthcare program is a major commitment made in the party’s 2024 platform and is based on the Health Sector Medium-Term Development Plan (2025-2029).
Dr. Belinda Afriyie Nimako, Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (PPME) at the Ministry of Health, presented the technical framework and stated that the policy expands access and strengthens preventive care while building upon current primary healthcare structures, such as Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds, health centres, and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
She clarified that a mixed payment system, which mixes the existing fee-for-service model with population-based payments, will be used to fund the policy. She pointed out that this strategy is intended to empower underprivileged areas by providing incentives for preventative care along with equity and performance adjustments.
Dr. Nimako states that the strategy will provide free primary healthcare services at the point of use without requiring NHIS registration.
Preventive and promotional care, basic curative services, necessary medications, basic diagnostics, maternity and child health services, mental health care, and emergency stabilisation are all included in the benefits package.
Prior to the policy’s official launch in March, she continued, more technical work and consultations will be conducted.
Source: newsthemegh.com