The Flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama has touted his party’s commitment to resolving the challenges in the healthcare system by spending some GH¢1.4 billion annually on primary health care.
Free Primary Health care according to the former president, remains the “single largest social intervention under the Fourth Republic”.
“It will create jobs for the youth – Nurses, Midwives, Physician Assistants, Drug store owners, Pharmacists, Doctors, IT professionals and many others. We estimate to spend GH¢1.4 billion, annually on Free Primary Health care from December 2021.
“Ultimately, it will ensure a healthy nation. We believe a healthy nation translates into a healthy workforce that will contribute to the growth of the economy, lead to massive job creation and improve livelihoods”.
Comparing the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to previous governments, Mr. Mahama indicated that, “successive governments in the 4th Republic have contributed to the establishment and growth of the Scheme”.
“It was piloted in the 1990s by President Jerry John Rawlings and implemented in 2007 as a district mutual health insurance scheme by President Agyekum Kufuor. Unfortunately, under the initial implementation of the scheme, subscribers could not access health care outside of the districts where they registered”.
That notwithstanding, he noted that with government under the presidency of John Evans Atta Mills, they “converted the Scheme into a truly national one with service delivery available to subscribers anywhere they found themselves in the nation”.
“As things stand today, only 40% of our population are on the National Health Insurance Scheme. And Oxfam International, which works in more than 90 countries, suggests in a 2019 report on extreme inequalities in Ghana, that only 2% of Ghana’s poor (as defined by the United Nations) are on health insurance.
“This implies a staggering 98% of the poor, who are more susceptible to various communicable and non-communicable diseases, are excluded from the social protection provided by the NHIS”.
With this, John Mahama revealed that in spite of existence of the NHIS, health care costs are still high.
Palliative solutions, according to the NDC flagbearer will not augur well for the health care system, and as such, it behooves on any government in power to offer “an urgent transformational solution and not a piecemeal approach”.
“At this rate, we are nowhere close to achieving health for all by the year 2030. This is why I urge you to support the Free Primary Health Care policy in the Peoples’ Manifesto.
“This urgent transformational solution to our health needs, Free Primary Health Care, will provide better health care for all Ghanaians including the poor and vulnerable”.
People with disabilities, Mr. Mahama noted, will not left out of the benefits of the free healthcare system as they will be supplied with assistive medical devices.
“Let me be very clear, the Free Primary Health Care policy will provide health care for all Ghanaians at no cost, in district hospitals, polyclinics, clinics, health centres and CHPS Compounds. You will not need a health insurance card – state or private – to benefit from Free Primary health care. You will not have to pay a premium to benefit.
“In addition, Free Primary Health care will emphasize preventive health and health promotion. And will include private health service providers”.
