By Yussif Ibrahim, GNA
Kumasi, Sept. 13, GNA – The Ashanti Regional Directorate of the Information Services Department (ISD) has begun a public education campaign on the Government’s Free Primary Health Care (FPHC) programme to increase awareness and encourage early utilisation of primary healthcare services.
The campaign is being implemented across all 43 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Ashanti Region.
As part of the exercise, Information Officers will engage the public through radio programmes, market centres, lorry stations, churches, mosques, Community Information Centres (CICs), schools and other public places.
The engagements will focus on the objectives, benefits, scope and procedures for accessing services under the FPHC programme.
The exercise also seeks to reduce delays in seeking medical attention, particularly among people who may be unable to access healthcare promptly because of financial constraints.
According to the Minister of Health, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the programme represents a major shift in Ghana’s healthcare delivery system from a predominantly treatment-focused approach to one that places greater emphasis on prevention, early detection and timely intervention.
He said the programme provided free access to a defined package of essential primary healthcare services at Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds, health centres and polyclinics.
The package includes screening for hypertension and diabetes, blood pressure and blood sugar checks, weight and other risk assessments, selected cancer and mental health screening, antenatal and postnatal care, child health services, immunisation, growth monitoring and newborn follow-up.
It also covers family planning and counselling, treatment of common conditions such as malaria, diarrhoeal diseases and respiratory infections, as well as nutrition, physical activity, hygiene and healthy lifestyle education.
Mr Akandoh said the programme was designed not only to treat illnesses but also to identify health conditions early and prevent them from developing into serious and costly complications.
He explained that health professionals would increasingly move beyond health facilities into communities and households to conduct basic health assessments, including checks on blood pressure, blood sugar levels and body mass index, and refer persons requiring further attention to appropriate health facilities.
The Minister clarified that beneficiaries did not need to be members of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to access services covered under the FPHC programme.
He said the initiative was intended to complement, rather than replace, the NHIS.
While primary-level services under the FPHC programme are provided free of charge, patients requiring hospital admission, surgery, specialist treatment or other higher-level services would continue to rely on the NHIS and other appropriate healthcare financing arrangements, including the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as MahamaCares.
The programme is being implemented in phases and, as of September 2026, had been extended to 135 districts across all 16 regions.
Services are currently being delivered through 4,447 health facilities, comprising 3,774 CHPS compounds, 632 health centres and 41 polyclinics, with the Government targeting nationwide coverage.
The Ashanti Regional ISD said the public education campaign was necessary because financial barriers, inadequate information and delayed health-seeking behaviour could result in health conditions becoming more complicated and expensive to treat.
It said the programme was expected to particularly benefit farmers, market women, drivers, artisans, persons with disabilities, the aged and other vulnerable groups by reducing financial barriers to essential healthcare and promoting early health-seeking behaviour.
The Department therefore urged residents across the region to take advantage of the FPHC programme by visiting their nearest participating CHPS compound, health centre or polyclinic whenever they required healthcare.
It also urged chiefs, religious leaders, community leaders, media practitioners and other stakeholders to support the campaign to ensure that information about the programme reached communities across the region.
GNA
Edited by Audrey Dekalu
Reporter: Yussif Ibrahim