The government is spending approximately GH¢35 million every quarter to finance preventive healthcare services under the Free Primary Healthcare programme, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has disclosed.
Mr. Akandoh made the disclosure at a media briefing on Monday, September 7, 2026, where he outlined the government’s approach to financing and sustaining the programme.
He said the government had introduced a population-based payment system to ensure that health facilities and providers delivering preventive services receive timely reimbursement.
According to the Minister, the financing mechanism is necessary because although the programme is free to beneficiaries, the services still require public funding.
“Free primary health care is free to the ordinary Ghanaian, but it’s not free to Ghanaians,” he said, explaining that the government must maintain payment systems that allow service providers to be compensated.
Mr. Akandoh said the government had established two main payment mechanisms to support the programme.
The first is the population-based payment system, which covers preventive healthcare interventions and currently costs the government about GH¢35 million every quarter.
The second is the Diagnostic Related Groupings (DRG) system, which the Minister said would handle the claims-payment component for curative services under the programme.
He explained that the DRG mechanism would allow the government to process payments associated with treatment and other curative interventions provided at the primary healthcare level.
The Minister also disclosed that an access mechanism had been developed to help beneficiaries obtain services under the programme.
Under the system, beneficiaries will receive a one-time accessibility code when they seek healthcare.
The code will remain valid for 24 hours and is intended to enable the government to verify service utilisation while facilitating payments to health facilities.
Mr. Akandoh stressed that the Free Primary Healthcare programme is not intended to replace the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Rather, he said the two programmes should complement each other, with increased investment in prevention and early detection helping to reduce pressure on the national insurance system.
He described preventive healthcare as both a public health intervention and an economic strategy, arguing that detecting and managing diseases early can reduce the cost of treatment later.
“The free primary health care is the cheapest friend of the National Health Insurance Scheme,” he said.
The Free Primary Healthcare programme covers preventive, curative, and health-promotion services at the primary healthcare level.
The government says the programme forms part of efforts to shift Ghana’s healthcare system towards prevention and early detection while improving access to essential primary healthcare services.
