Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has commended President Mahama for rolling out the Free Primary Health Care initiative, describing it as a significant step toward strengthening healthcare delivery and advancing universal health coverage.
In a post on X on Thursday, April 16, the Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, praised the initiative and highlighted its potential impact on population health, noting that strong primary healthcare systems remain central to disease prevention and early treatment.
“This important milestone brings Ghana closer to achieving universal health coverage. Strong primary health care is essential to improving population health, enabling earlier detection, timely treatment, and more effective disease prevention,” he said.
Consequently, the Mahama administration has positioned the Free Primary Health Care initiative as a central pillar of its social contract, placing strong emphasis on expanding access to essential health services, particularly in underserved communities.
In its first phase, the programme will cover 150 underserved districts nationwide over the next two months, targeting populations with limited access to quality healthcare.
The policy marks a strategic shift from a treatment-heavy system to a prevention-driven model. It incorporates routine screenings for non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and cancers, alongside maternal healthcare services like antenatal and postnatal care.
