The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has assured Ghanaians that the government’s newly launched Free Primary Healthcare initiative is not intended to replace the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) but rather strengthen and complement it.

Addressing health workers in the Oti Region on Thursday night, Akandoh dismissed speculations suggesting that the programme would operate independently of the NHIS framework.

According to him, the initiative forms part of government’s broader efforts to improve healthcare delivery and expand access to quality primary healthcare services across the country.

Akandoh disclosed that government has committed between GH¢1.2 billion and GH¢1.5 billion towards the implementation of the programme, stressing that adequate measures have been put in place to ensure its sustainability.

He explained that unlike the previous administration’s “capping and realignment” policy, which redirected portions of NHIS revenue into the Consolidated Fund for non-health-related expenditures, the current government is allocating all NHIS levy proceeds directly into the health sector.

“The previous regime had a concept or legislation called capping or realignment. It means that when the NHIS raked in about GH¢9 billion, only GH¢6 billion was allocated to NHIS expenditure, while the remaining GH¢3 billion went into the Consolidated Fund for other purposes,” he stated.

The Health Minister revealed that in 2025 alone, government mobilised nearly GH¢9 billion to GH¢10 billion through the NHIS levy, all of which has been fully dedicated to healthcare financing.

Akandoh further emphasised that the Free Primary Healthcare initiative would not establish parallel systems outside the NHIS structure.

“We are not going to set parallel structures against the NHIS. No, it is the same NHIS that is going to do the disbursement,” he said.

According to him, allocations to the NHIS are approved annually by Parliament, making the scheme one of the country’s most dependable funding mechanisms for healthcare delivery.

“The little we are taking, we are using it where it matters most. We will not use NHIS money to build a cathedral. We will rather use it in the same health sector,” he added.

Akandoh reaffirmed government’s commitment to strengthening healthcare financing and ensuring equitable access to primary healthcare services nationwide.

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