The Ministry of Health has commenced a three-day mid-year review of government’s health sector commitments contained in the NDC 2024 Manifesto, bringing together heads of agencies and institutions to assess progress on key healthcare promises made to Ghanaians.
The meeting, which began on August 15, 2026, in Ho, brought together heads of all agencies, institutions, and programmes under the Ministry, led by the Minister for Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, marking a significant checkpoint in government’s effort to track delivery on its health sector pledges roughly midway through the year.
According to the Ministry, the meeting is focused on assessing progress, identifying challenges, and strengthening implementation of key commitments made by government to improve access to quality, affordable, and equitable healthcare across the country.
Specifically, the review is examining progress on the Free Primary Healthcare initiative, the Ghana Medical Trust Fund popularly known as MahamaCare, the retooling of health facilities, the expansion of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), and the introduction of specialised nursing programmes, all of which feature prominently among the manifesto’s flagship health commitments.
As part of the review process, all heads of agencies and programmes under the Ministry are expected to present detailed updates on their respective areas, highlighting achievements recorded so far, challenges encountered along the way, and measures required to accelerate implementation where progress has lagged.
This structured presentation format is designed to provide the Ministry’s leadership with a comprehensive, sector-wide picture of implementation status, allowing for targeted interventions in areas where commitments remain behind schedule.
Regional Hospitals, Cataract Centres And Other Priorities Under Review
The three-day retreat will also assess progress on the construction of additional regional hospitals in the six newly created regions, the establishment of cataract centres in selected regions, and the formalisation of allowances for nursing trainees, areas that have drawn public attention in recent months as government works to expand healthcare infrastructure and support for trainee health professionals.
Additionally, the review will examine progress on the recruitment of health professionals and the completion of previously abandoned health projects, reflecting the Ministry’s broader effort to ensure that stalled initiatives inherited from past administrations are brought to completion rather than left dormant.
As part of the retreat, participants are also taking part in training on Public Financial Management, aimed at ensuring efficient use of resources and good governance across the health sector.
The inclusion of this training component signals the Ministry’s intent to pair progress reviews with practical capacity-building, ensuring that agencies are better equipped to manage public funds responsibly as they work toward achieving their targets.
Participants in the retreat include Board Chairs and Chief Executive Officers of the various health agencies, alongside Directors of the Ministry of Health, bringing together senior leadership from across the sector for the duration of the three-day engagement.
Minister Highlights Achievements, Calls for Compliance
During the opening ceremony, Hon. Akandoh highlighted key achievements recorded across the health sector so far and commended the agencies whose work had made these outcomes possible, setting a tone of recognition alongside the more critical assessment work ahead.
” I charged Board Chairs and Heads of Agencies to ensure strict compliance with the Public Financial Management Act, underscoring the importance of prudent and efficient use of public resources.”
Ministry of Health
His remarks placed particular emphasis on financial discipline, reinforcing the message that achieving the sector’s ambitious goals depends not only on political will and funding, but also on the responsible management of resources already allocated to various health institutions and programmes.
Ministry Reaffirms Commitment To Universal Health Coverage
The Ministry of Health used the occasion to assure Ghanaians of its continued commitment to delivering on its mandate and working toward the attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), while ensuring that healthcare services remain accessible, affordable, and responsive to the needs of all Ghanaians.
“The Ministry of Health assures Ghanaians of its continued commitment to delivering on its mandate and working towards the attainment of Universal Health Coverage.”
Ministry of Health
This assurance reflects the Ministry’s broader effort to maintain public confidence in its reform agenda, even as it undertakes a candid, internal assessment of where implementation gaps remain across the sector’s various flagship programmes.
As the three-day retreat continues in Ho, attention will likely turn to what specific action plans emerge from the review, particularly regarding areas where implementation has lagged, such as the completion of abandoned health projects and the construction of regional hospitals in the newly created regions.
With the retreat combining both an accountability exercise and a financial management training component, the outcomes are expected to shape the Ministry’s priorities for the remainder of the year, as it works to ensure that the commitments outlined in the NDC 2024 Manifesto translate into measurable improvements in healthcare access and quality for Ghanaians nationwide.
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