Ghana’s Free Primary Health Care (FPHC) programme has been expanded to 135 districts across all 16 regions, as government works towards achieving nationwide coverage by 2027.
The programme is currently being implemented through 4,447 health facilities, comprising 3,774 Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds, 632 health centres and 41 polyclinics.
Speaking at a media engagement in Accra on Monday, the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, said training for regional, district and sub-district health teams had been completed across the country.
He added that 127 facilities operated by the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) had also received training on the FPHC policy, benefits package, financing arrangements and service delivery requirements.
According to the Minister, government has distributed 24,534 pieces of essential medical equipment, more than 10,000 motorbikes and tricycles, as well as 5,000 outreach kits to support community-level healthcare delivery.
“The Government has distributed 24,534 pieces of essential equipment, more than 10,000 motorbikes and tricycles, and 5,000 outreach kits to support community-level healthcare delivery,” he said.
Mr Akandoh said the logistics would enable health workers to take preventive and basic healthcare services beyond traditional health facilities to homes, workplaces, schools, markets and other community settings.
217 health kiosks planned
The Minister also disclosed that 30 prefabricated health kiosks had been completed and handed over for deployment across six regions and 30 districts.
He said the kiosks would be located at non-traditional service points, including markets and transport locations, to bring basic healthcare closer to people who may otherwise face difficulties accessing conventional health facilities.
“The kiosks are being placed in non-traditional health service points, including markets and transport locations, to make basic healthcare more accessible to people who may otherwise find it difficult to visit conventional health facilities,” he said.
Government plans to deploy 30 kiosks by October 1, 2026, while a total of 217 kiosks are expected to be completed within six months.
Services covered under FPHC
Mr Akandoh explained that the FPHC programme is designed to help health workers identify health risks early, prevent illnesses, provide basic treatment close to patients’ homes and refer cases requiring specialised care to higher-level facilities.
The programme, launched by President John Dramani Mahama in April 2026, seeks to provide essential preventive, promotive and basic curative healthcare at the community level.
The package includes screening for conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, blood pressure and blood sugar checks, weight and other risk assessments, as well as selected cancer and mental health screening.
It also covers antenatal care, child health services, immunisation, growth monitoring and newborn follow-up.
Other services include family planning and counselling, treatment of common illnesses such as malaria, diarrhoeal diseases and respiratory infections, as well as nutrition education, physical activity, hygiene and healthy lifestyle counselling.
NHIS not required to access FPHC
The Minister said patients requiring hospital admission, surgery, specialist treatment or other higher-level services would continue to access such care through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) or the Ghana Medical Trust Fund.
He stressed that people could access services covered under the FPHC programme regardless of their NHIS membership status.
“Beneficiaries can access the service by visiting a participating CHPS compound or health centre, or by registering and obtaining an access code by dialling *929#, select the OTAC portal and generate an FPHC four-digit code, which remains valid for 24 hours,” he said.
GH¢79.6 million allocated
Mr Akandoh further disclosed that government had allocated GH¢79.624 million to FPHC implementation activities as of September 5, 2026.
The expansion forms part of government’s broader efforts to strengthen primary healthcare, improve early detection and prevention of diseases, and make essential health services more accessible to communities across Ghana.
