{
  "id": 20141324,
  "title": "Ghana government urged to expand free primary healthcare policy at district levels",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/15/ghana-government-urged-to-expand-free-primary-healthcare-policy-at",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-11-15T08:03:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ghana Business News",
    "slug": "ghana-business-news",
    "url": "https://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2026/11/15/ghana-government-urged-to-expand-free-primary-healthcare-policy-at-district-levels/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Ghana government is urged to accelerate the rollout of the Free Primary Care (FPHC) Policy to every district throughout the nation to save lives of those with chronic diseases, according to Ms Martha Cofie, a representative of the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Alliance Ghana (NCDA-Gh). Ms Cofie's plea comes as a result of the government's pledge to provide medicines and fundamental equipment for the treatment of these ailments at every Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) center. Ms Cofie presented her remarks at a multisectoral stakeholder engagement in Accra, organized by NCDA-Gh, with the aim of examining the state of implementation of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF) and the FPHC Policy. The stakeholders present included representatives from government agencies, civil society organizations, healthcare institutions, development partners, community health management committees, people affected by NCDs, patient groups, academia, media representatives, and other relevant stakeholders.\n\nDuring the meeting, Ms Cofie highlighted several concerns, including allowing individuals to register for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) upon enrolment in the GMTF or to be granted emergency enrollment if diagnosed with cancer or kidney failure. She argued that no one should be denied immediate healthcare due to an expired card. Additionally, she suggested that the GMTF should be brought closer to the people by establishing regional and district desks and focal persons in all hospitals, rather than solely in teaching hospitals. Ms Cofie recommended that the initiative's scope should be made clear in local languages, outlining eligibility criteria, what is covered, application procedures, and expected timelines. She also proposed providing transportation assistance or decentralizing diagnostic services to avoid long-distance travel to Accra and other cities for scans.\n\nMs Cofie emphasized the importance of involving people living with NCDs and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in decision-making processes, suggesting that they should be included in the GMTF Board, technical committees, and FPHC implementation committees from the outset. She underlined that CSOs play a crucial role in community screening, peer support, health education in local languages, and monitoring the availability of medicines. Furthermore, she called for a quarterly report on the number of applications received for GMTF support, approvals obtained, waiting periods, expenditure, and geographical distribution to enable CSOs and NCD patients to verify progress and provide feedback. Ms Cofie stressed that NCD treatments are lifelong, and the GMTF should cover follow-up visits, long-term medication, and palliative care.\n\nLastly, Ms Cofie urged the NHIS and GMTF to collaborate with the private sector and other stakeholders to address fragmented gaps in tackling progress.",
  "summary": "The Ghana government has been urged to speed up the expansion of the Free Primary Care (FPHC) Policy to all districts across the country, to save the lives of people with chronic diseases. The post Ghana government urged to expand free primary healthcare policy at district levels appeared first on Ghana Business News .",
  "key_points": [
    "Ghana urged to expand Free Primary Care (FPHC) policy to all districts.",
    "Ms Martha Cofie calls for immediate healthcare access without expired NHIS cards.",
    "Stakeholders recommend regional/district desks, local language clarity, and NCD patient involvement."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}