Ghana to roll out nationwide free primary healthcare programme  on April 15 

Health workers across Ghana will, from Wednesday, begin a nationwide community outreach exercise as part of the rollout of the Free Primary Healthcare Initiative, a major health policy set to be officially launched by President John Dramani Mahama on April 15, 2026.

The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, announced the development on Monday, April 13, 2026, during the Government Accountability Series briefing in Accra, explaining that the exercise is aimed at bringing essential health services directly to the doorstep of citizens.

He said trained health professionals and community volunteers will visit homes, churches, schools, workplaces, markets, farms, and lorry parks to conduct free screening for conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and other non-communicable diseases.

“A health worker may even visit them at home,” Mr Akandoh said, adding that the approach is designed to ensure early detection and timely intervention for diseases that often go unnoticed until complications develop.

He explained that more than 350 container-based clinics will also be stationed at busy public locations to provide accessible screening and basic treatment services.

The programme will also offer antenatal and postnatal care, immunisation, cancer screening, mental health checks, family planning counselling, and treatment for common illnesses such as malaria, diarrhoea and respiratory infections.

While the services under the initiative are free at the primary level, Mr Akandoh stressed that patients referred to higher-level facilities will still require a valid National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card.

“Free primary health care has a limit,” he said. “Beyond which you need the National Health Insurance card. So the National Health Insurance is still relevant and is very important.”

He encouraged citizens who are not enrolled in the NHIS to register, noting that the new initiative is meant to complement, not replace, the insurance system.

According to him, access to the service will require identification such as the Ghana Card, voter ID or NHIS card to ensure proper tracking and service delivery.

The programme will be implemented in phases from 2026 to 2028, starting with 150 of Ghana’s 261 districts, with priority given to underserved communities before nationwide coverage is achieved.

Mr Akandoh said the policy responds to rising concerns about late diagnosis of non-communicable diseases, noting that only about 35 per cent of people living with hypertension in Ghana are aware of their condition.

“Hypertension develops silently, diabetes progresses quietly, and certain cancers show no early symptoms,” he said. “So people are living with these conditions without knowing until complications occur.”