John Dramani Mahama, Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has promised free healthcare delivery on assumption to the presidency come December 7.
Speaking in Wa at a durbar of Chiefs as part of his 4-day tour of the Upper West Region, John Mahama was of the view that the new initiative will complement the existing National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to ensure that citizens access free primary healthcare even without NHIS cards.
He further stated that the NDC government’s free primary health care will be under a special arrangement to be managed by the National Health Insurance Authority.
“It is the aim of all countries to attain what we call universal healthcare. Unfortunately, our National Health Insurance Scheme makes it difficult for us to obtain this objective because the payment of premiums at the lower rank of the health delivery system makes it difficult for everybody to be able to access quality healthcare. So, we are bringing a new program to supplement the NHIS.
“Let me point out that this programme and plan we are bringing is going to be implemented and supervised by the NHIS but it is going to be a program for free primary healthcare so that at the level of the CHPS compound, polyclinics and health centres, all Ghanaians will have access to free healthcare whether they possess a national health insurance card or not.”
The flagbearer described this plan “as the fulcrum” around which its Health Policy will revolve should he win power in the 2020 elections.
Expectations of the roll out of the policy will hopefully be effected before the end of 2021.
Meanwhile, Alex Segbefia, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Deputy Campaign Manager, has put a cost on his party’s Free Primary Health Care promise.
Dr. Segbefia, giving an approximate amount of the cost of the free primary healthcare, he disclosed that it will cost $18 million.
“It is going to cost us $18 million… in that policy, we are saying that anybody who goes to a district hospital and below [will get] free health care. The plan is to leave regional hospitals to deal with the more serious cases which they are meant for. It is clogging up our regional and tertiary institutions for things that can be done elsewhere. We have to move the people to areas where they can be dealt with; from the CHPS compounds to the health centres to the polyclinics, to the district hospitals.”
He, however talked down concerns about how the party will finance its promise citing recent interventions in the country because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have just taken $100 million under COVID. We have taken another $1 billion as a loan. You mean as a country, we can’t find an extra $18 million to give free healthcare from district hospitals and below?”
