National Health Insurance Scheme — health insurance system providing membership coverage in Ghana, recently registering millions during regional campaigns and expanding screenings.
… Addressing participants on behalf of the President, the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, highlighted key reforms including the Free Primary Health Care Initiative and ongoing efforts to strengthen the National Health Insurance Scheme. …
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has announced a major intervention allowing Ghanaians to register or renew their National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) membership free of charge, with immediate access to healthcare services. …
… The model integrates: Community-based screening for NCDs and risk factors Digital tracking through an electronic health (E-tracker) system Linkages to the Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) framework Financial access through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIA) …
… Under this proposal, private law firms would be engaged and funded through a dedicated scheme potentially linked to the National Health Insurance Scheme to represent victims at no upfront cost. …
… Parents or guardians who have enrolled their children onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) have also been advised to present the child’s NHIS card or number during registration. …
… President Mahama has prioritised improving public health financing, rebuilding confidence in the National Health Insurance Scheme, and expanding access to primary healthcare, particularly in underserved and rural communities. …
… The Government of Ghana, under President John Dramani Mahama, has prioritised health sector reforms, including improved public health financing, restoration of confidence in the National Health Insurance Scheme and expanded access to primary healthcare, particularly in underserve …
… The donation comes at a time when many public health facilities continue to face increasing pressure, with patients often burdened by out-of-pocket healthcare expenses despite the existence of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). …
… The donation comes at a time when many public health facilities continue to face increasing pressure, with patients often burdened by out-of-pocket healthcare expenses despite the existence of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). …
Ghana's Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh launched the Free Primary Healthcare initiative in the Volta Region during a working visit that included engagements with traditional leaders and health officials. The initiative is designed to complement the National Health Insurance Scheme and shift the healthcare system toward prevention and early detection rather than curative care.
Why it matters
Health Minister's launch of Free Primary Healthcare in Volta Region represents a concrete policy implementation affecting millions of Ghanaians' access to medical services.
Ghana's Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh launched the Free Primary Healthcare initiative in the Volta Region during a working visit that included engagements with traditional leaders and health officials. The initiative is designed to complement the National Health Insurance Scheme and shift the healthcare system toward prevention and early detection rather than curative care.
The National Identification Authority has started Ghana Card registration for children aged 6–14 years in the Northern Region, in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Authority. Registration teams will visit schools daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and children not in school can register at designated centres.
Ghana's Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh said building and retaining a resilient, motivated and equitably distributed health workforce is crucial to achieving Universal Health Coverage and sustaining recent gains in healthcare access and service delivery. He emphasised that health workers are the backbone of healthcare delivery and that workforce development must remain central to health sector reforms.
Religious leaders, parliamentarians and development partners have called for increased investment in health workforce development, sustainable financing and stronger governance to accelerate Ghana's attainment of Universal Health Coverage, at the 2026 Annual Health Summit in Accra.
Telecel Ghana Foundation's Healthfest screened about 400 residents of Konongo and surrounding towns for conditions including hypertension, diabetes, malaria, and HIV, while nearly 300 people registered for or renewed NHIS membership. The outreach removed financial barriers to healthcare access in the mining community.
Citizens in Ghana pay various forms of taxes but question whether these funds translate into quality roads, healthcare, education, and other public services; dissatisfaction grows amid complaints of poor infrastructure, corruption, and inadequate services.
Telecel Ghana Foundation's Healthfest screened about 400 residents of Konongo for conditions including hypertension, diabetes, malaria, and HIV, while providing health education and helping nearly 300 people register for or renew NHIS membership as part of its Ashanti Month initiative.
Telecel Ghana Foundation's Healthfest brought free comprehensive health screenings to about 400 residents of Konongo and surrounding towns, testing for hypertension, diabetes, malaria, Hepatitis B, HIV, syphilis and typhoid, while nearly 300 people registered for or renewed NHIS membership. The health initiative, part of Telecel Ashanti Month, also provided health education, counselling and referrals for further medical care.
The Omanhene of Lower Dixcove has warned against actions that could derail the government's Free Primary Health Care programme, particularly cautioning about financial and administrative bottlenecks from Accra that historically disrupt implementation of new initiatives. The programme is being piloted in five communities in the Western Region.
Childhood cancer cases are rising sharply in Ghana, with specialists warning that official figures likely underestimate the disease burden due to under-diagnosis, late presentation, and financial barriers to treatment. At Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, new cases increased to 160 last year from a previous range of 100–130 annually, with 65 already diagnosed in the first quarter of this year.
The Oyemam Autoimmune Foundation led a delegation of lupus advocates to Parliament to press for stronger policy support, improved healthcare access, and greater public awareness for people living with lupus and other autoimmune diseases. The effort builds on the Foundation's earlier work with Parliament, including observance of World Lupus Day at Parliament House in May 2025, and aligns with Ghana's Ghana Medical Trust Fund Act, 2025, which recognises autoimmune diseases as chronic conditions.
Ghana's Free Primary Health Care Initiative was launched in the Western Region, with five districts—Ellembelle, Jomoro, Wassa East, Wassa Amenfi West, and Wassa Amenfi Central—selected for the first phase. The programme aims to remove financial barriers to healthcare access as part of efforts toward universal health coverage, with 150 districts nationwide participating initially and all 251 districts expected to join by 2027.
The Ashanti Regional Directorate of the National Health Insurance Authority registered and renewed membership for 1.48 million people during its first "King's Month" campaign in May 2026, comprising 51,976 new subscribers and 1,432,198 renewals. The initiative, held in honour of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has been adopted as an annual programme to be observed every May.
The Psychiatric Unit of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital is advocating for mental health services to be covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme, as patients struggle to afford medication and some request discharge against medical advice. The Rotary Club of Kumasi East has provided medication support to help improve service delivery.
Policymakers, health experts, and civil society are gathering in Accra to chart a path toward food system resilience as Ghana faces growing food import dependence, diet-related disease, and climate threats. The workshop aims to strengthen local food production, improve nutrition security, and build climate resilience while reducing the country's spending on imports like the US$400 million spent annually on poultry.
Susan Temley Akortia, Adaklu District Director of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, has stated that the best interest and safety of children must always be the primary consideration in every decision-making process. According to a 2024 UNICEF/WHO survey cited by Akortia, one in five girls experienced sexual violence before age 18, while one in seven boys suffered similar abuse.
Gold Fields Ghana Foundation has invested over $5 million in health initiatives in its host mining communities, including quarterly medical outreaches, adolescent reproductive health programmes, construction of health facilities, and a donation of over $793,000 worth of medical supplies to public health facilities in Tarkwa-Nsuaem and Prestea Huni-Valley municipalities.
Ghana's Modified Taxation System is a simplified tax regime introduced by the Ghana Revenue Authority to bring small and medium-sized enterprises and informal sector operators into the formal tax system, addressing barriers such as complex filing processes and limited access to tax offices that have historically excluded a significant portion of the economy.
Ghana Football Association President Kurt Okraku addressed inmates at Nsawam Medium Security Prison during an outreach programme organised by the KN Foundation, PFAG, the GFA, and the Joana Gyan Cudjoe Foundation, urging them that life beyond prison walls is possible and their stay is not permanent. The event, led by former GFA president Kwesi Nyantakyi and supported by Amenfi Central MP Joana Gyan Cudjoe, featured former Black Stars players, administrators, and musicians who provided donations, health screening, entertainment, and a friendly football match.
Ghana has inaugurated a Madina Market Free Primary Healthcare Post in Accra and plans to construct a CHPS compound by July. The Minister of Health said the initiative, selected for 150 of 261 districts in the first phase, shifts the healthcare system from "sick care" to prevention and early intervention.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, flagbearer of the opposition NPP, told the Minority Caucus in Parliament that the party has moved past its post-election healing phase and is now preparing to return to power in 2029, urging MPs to project competence, unity, and readiness to govern.
Former Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has urged the NPP's Minority Members of Parliament to reposition the party as a credible alternative government as it prepares for the 2028 elections. He said the party must move beyond internal reflection and focus on rebuilding public confidence and convincing Ghanaians it is capable of governing.
Former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has told the NPP's Minority caucus in Parliament to move beyond internal reflection following the party's 2024 electoral defeat and reposition itself as a disciplined force ready to govern again ahead of the 2029 general elections. He urged members to defend the party's previous social intervention programmes and ensure all parliamentary actions and public statements reinforce the perception that the NPP is prepared to return to government.
Ghana has launched the Free Primary Healthcare Program, officially unveiled on April 15, 2026, by President John Dramani Mahama as a key step toward Universal Health Coverage. The policy aims to eliminate monetary barriers to basic healthcare and shift focus from treating illness to preventing it, with particular emphasis on maternal and child health and early intervention.
President John Dramani Mahama announced that uncapping the National Health Insurance Fund has released an additional GH¢3 billion (approximately $300 million) for investment into Ghana's healthcare sector. The decision reverses the 2017 Earmarked Funds Capping and Realignment Act and aims to strengthen healthcare delivery and improve access to quality medical services, while the government deploys digital technologies and artificial intelligence to reduce fraud and inefficiencies within the NHIS.
Cases of opioid abuse among residents in the mining communities of Tarkwa-Nsuaem in the Western Region have been increasing. A medical outreach initiative organized by Gold Fields Ghana Foundation provided free health screening, treatment, medication, and counselling to residents, identifying chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes as the dominant conditions recorded.
Former Black Stars players will participate in a friendly match against Nsawam Medium Security Prison inmates on May 21, 2026, as part of a KN Foundation charity outreach that will also include health screening, music performances, and donations of rice, cooking oil, footballs, and jerseys.
President Mahama told the World Health Assembly that a new global health order anchored on self-reliance, equity, and sovereign capacity is needed, citing declining humanitarian assistance, cuts to the WHO budget following U.S. withdrawal, and Ghana's loss of $78 million in health financing after USAID programmes closed.
President Mahama announced at the World Health Assembly in Geneva that uncapping the National Health Insurance Scheme fund has released an additional GH¢3 billion (about $300 million) for healthcare investment. His government is using digital technologies and artificial intelligence to detect fraud and improve efficiency in the health insurance system.
The Eastern Regional Directorate of the National Health Insurance Authority, in partnership with the Ghana Health Service, has launched the Free Primary Healthcare Initiative in the Eastern Region to improve access to quality healthcare services and reduce financial barriers to medical attention in underserved communities.