The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, says more than 5,700 households have already been registered in the Upper West Region under the Free Primary Healthcare programme since its implementation began in the region.
Speaking at a community engagement on the Free Primary Healthcare programme at Fian in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa (DBI) District, Dr. Akoriyea said the programme had also conducted more than 590 home visits in the region.
He said the initiative was rolled out across all 16 regions on September 7, 2026, covering 135 districts, and was already yielding significant results.
According to him, within the first week of implementation nationwide, more than 54,000 households had been assessed, with over 12,000 home visits conducted.
He added that the programme had recorded more than 219 first antenatal visits, over 500 follow-up visits and more than 1,317 immunisation and child growth-monitoring activities during the first week.
Dr. Akoriyea said screening for non-communicable diseases had also identified 675 new cases during the period.
However, he said the impact of the programme was best demonstrated through the experiences of people who had previously been unable to access healthcare.
He recounted the story of 87-year-old Benjamin Kuri, whom health officials encountered during a home visit at Fian.
Dr. Akoriyea said Mr. Kuri had not visited a hospital for 54 years, following a leg injury he sustained while working in a quarry in 1972.
He explained that the elderly man had avoided healthcare because he could not afford it and also faced difficulties travelling the distance to a health facility.
According to Dr. Akoriyea, health officials assessed Mr. Kuri at his home and treated his case as part of the programme’s routine home-visit services.
He said the elderly man became emotional after being informed that the President had introduced a programme that would bring healthcare professionals to his doorstep.
Dr. Akoriyea said Mr. Kuri later travelled with his relatives to the community engagement to personally express his appreciation to President John Dramani Mahama.
He stressed that the home visits would not be a one-time exercise but a routine service under the Free Primary Healthcare programme.
Dr. Akoriyea said the story of Mr. Kuri demonstrated the importance of taking healthcare directly to underserved communities.
He recalled that when the programme was launched in Bolgatanga, he described Free Primary Healthcare as an initiative aimed at restoring the dignity of ordinary Ghanaians, and said the experience at Fian had reinforced that objective.
He commended health workers who are participating in the programme and urged stakeholders to support efforts to expand access to healthcare across the country.
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