The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has released GH¢35,099,215.84 as first-quarter payment to the 107 districts currently implementing the Free Primary Healthcare (FPHC) programme.

The initiative was launched on April 15, this year, at Dodowa by President John Dramani Mahama, and marks a significant expansion of Ghana’s community-level health financing.

Unlike the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which reimburses providers on a service-by-service basis, the NHIA-funded FPHC operates on a population-based model where resources are allocated according to the size of the population a district serves.

This structure is designed to give participating districts predictable, upfront funding to plan and deliver preventive care consistently, rather than waiting on claims processing for each patient encounter.

The programme delivers promotive healthcare at the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) level and is designed to complement the NHIS, together forming a two-pronged approach to Ghana’s broader commitment to Universal Health Coverage (UHC): the FPHC anchoring prevention and early detection at the community level, and the NHIS covering treatment once conditions require clinical or hospital-based care.

Services under the FPHC include routine screening for hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and cancers; maternal and child health services such as antenatal care, postnatal care, immunisations, and growth monitoring; and treatment of common illnesses including malaria, cholera, and respiratory infections. 

The programme also supports community outreach activities like home visits, school and workplace engagements, and public education campaigns all aimed at reaching populations who may not otherwise visit a health facility. 

These services are accessible at CHPS compounds, health posts, health centres, and polyclinics, with a particular focus on underserved districts. While primary care under the FPHC is free, referrals to district, regional, or teaching hospitals still require a valid NHIS card.

Commenting on the payment, NHIA Chief Executive, Dr Victor Asare Bampoe, explained that the FPHC is designed to help keep Ghanaians healthier through regular checks and the adoption of healthier lifestyles, so that health conditions are identified and addressed before they become serious. 

He encouraged Ghanaians, particularly residents of the participating districts, to take advantage of the programme by having their vitals checked regularly and following the advice of health professionals who staff these facilities.

He believed that focusing attention on early detection of sicknesses would present a better and cheaper treatment than waiting for it to fully develop and become more complex.

The Authority reaffirmed its commitment to the continued rollout and funding of the FPHC programme as it works to extend promotive and preventive healthcare access to communities across the country.