Fian: Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minister of Health, announced that the government is in the process of recruiting 16,000 health professionals to aid the implementation of the Free Primary Health Care (FPHC) programme, a significant step towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Of these, 8,000 health professionals have already been recruited and dispatched to various health facilities nationwide, with plans underway to recruit an additional 8,000 personnel.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr Akandoh made this announcement at a durbar held in Fian, located in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District. The event also included the presentation of home-visit kits and motorbikes for the FPHC programme. Mr Akandoh expressed satisfaction that many health professionals were willingly accepting assignments in 'deprived' areas, such as the Upper West region. He noted that last year, about 20 medical doctors accepted postings to this region compared to only two in 2024.
The Minister attributed this positive change to the government's directive ensuring that health professionals who resumed duty received processing, mechanisation, and payment within their first month. He also highlighted that the government had incorporated 13,500 nurses, inherited from the previous administration, into the payroll and settled their arrears.
Mr Akandoh emphasized that these government interventions aim to make healthcare services accessible and affordable for all citizens. The FPHC programme will focus on preventing and detecting non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes early. To support the programme's implementation, 24,000 pieces of basic equipment have been distributed to primary healthcare facilities, with another 12,000 pieces expected in the coming week. Additionally, 5,000 health kits for house-to-house visits have been distributed, with a further 5,000 expected soon.
He urged health professionals to maintain high-quality care standards, reminding them that while services are free to citizens, the government bears the cost. President John Dramani Mahama also announced efforts to improve health workers' conditions, including incentives for those accepting postings in underserved areas. Health workers in these areas will receive an additional 20% of their basic salary as an incentive.
Dr Samuel Akoriyea, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, reported that the FPHC programme is achieving its intended outcomes. In its first week, over 54,000 households were assessed, with health workers conducting over 12,016 home visits. This exercise resulted in more than 200 first antenatal visits, over 500 follow-up visits, 1,317 immunisations and growth monitoring sessions, and the identification of 675 new cases of non-communicable diseases.
In the Upper West Region specifically, Dr Akoriyea noted that 5,749 households have been registered, and over 590 home visits have been conducted since the programme's inception on September 7, 2026.