Government recruits 16,000 health personnel to support FPHC programme – Health Minister

The Ghanaian Government has announced the recruitment of 16,000 additional health professionals to support the Free Primary Health Care (FPHC) programme aimed at achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). This comes as the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, reported that 8,000 health professionals have already been recruited and assigned to various health facilities nationwide, with plans already underway to recruit another 8,000 personnel.

During a durbar in Fian, Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District, Akandoh expressed satisfaction that health professionals are accepting postings to "deprived" areas, including the Upper West region. He noted that while only two medical doctors accepted postings in the region last year, this year, several have taken on the challenge, attributing the increase to the government's directive ensuring that health professionals are processed, mechanized, and paid within their first month of service.

Akandoh also highlighted that 13,500 nurses inherited by the President Mahama-led government have been placed on the payroll and their arrears cleared. The FPHC programme will prioritize prevention and early detection of non-communicable diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes. The government has distributed 24,000 pieces of basic equipment to primary healthcare facilities and expects to deliver an additional 12,000 pieces within the coming week.

Furthermore, 5,000 health kits containing basic equipment for house-to-house visits have been distributed, with another 5,000 expected soon.

The Minister urged health professionals to deliver quality care, emphasizing that while the services are free for the ordinary Ghanaian, the government is funding these services. President John Dramani Mahama announced that the government is working to improve the conditions of service for health workers, including providing incentives for those accepting postings to underserved areas.

Health workers posted to such areas will receive an additional 20% of their basic salary as an incentive once the processes are completed. The President also mentioned that the government is improving the conditions in every district, including upgrading roads, providing water, electricity, and other amenities to ease the lives of health workers in their facilities.

Dr. Samuel Akoriyea, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, reported that the FPHC programme has already yielded positive results. Over 54,000 households have been assessed during the first week of implementation, with health workers conducting over 12,016 home visits. These efforts have led to over 200 first antenatal visits, over 500 follow-up visits, 1,317 immunizations, and growth monitoring sessions, as well as the identification of 675 new cases of non-communicable diseases.

In the Upper West Region alone, 5,749 households have been registered, and over 590 home visits have been conducted since the programme began on September 7, 2026.