The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has assessed the progress of the Free Primary Healthcare programme in the Upper East Region, identifying the need for additional training on some modern equipment as one of the gaps requiring attention.
The assessment took him to parts of the region, including Bolgatanga and Navrongo, where he observed patient screening and examined how equipment procured under the programme was being used by health professionals.
Speaking during the assessment, Mr. Akandoh said the visit was intended to give government a practical understanding of how the programme was being implemented at the primary healthcare level.
“We decided to come to the ground and look at how the equipment we procured for these facilities is being used and how the health professionals are doing their work on the ground. This is the practical aspect of the Free Primary Healthcare programme, and we wanted to familiarise ourselves with it.”
He described the progress observed so far as encouraging, but acknowledged that the policy would require continuous improvement as government identifies and addresses emerging gaps.
“With any new programme, you do not expect it to be 100 percent efficient, or for everything to be perfect right from the beginning. As we progress, we identify the gaps, try to fill them, and then roll out the programme progressively.”
The Minister said one of the gaps identified during the assessment was the need to train health professionals to use some of the modern equipment supplied to the facilities.
“Some of the equipment is modern, and some of the health professionals or health workers need training on how to use it.”
He said some health professionals had indicated that they were encountering certain equipment for the first time. The Minister said equipment vendors and suppliers would therefore have to support the process by recalibrating the equipment and providing on-the-job training for health professionals.
“I think the vendors and suppliers of this equipment will also have to come and play a role by recalibrating the equipment and training these health professionals on the job.”
He added that the Ministry would engage district health directors in Bolgatanga to obtain further feedback on the programme’s implementation and issue the necessary directives to improve its delivery.
The Free Primary Healthcare programme has so far been implemented in about 135 of the 150 districts targeted under its first phase, covering more than 4,500 primary healthcare facilities nationwide, with government aiming to roll it out across all 261 districts by the end of 2027.
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