The Savannah Regional Minister, Mr Salisu Be-Awuribe Issifu, has launched the Free Primary Health Care policy, aimed at removing financial barriers and improving access to quality healthcare for people in underserved communities across the region.
Launching the initiative in Damongo on Wednesday, he described it as a transformative intervention designed to improve healthcare delivery for residents across the Savannah Region.
He said the policy directly addressed the realities facing many rural dwellers, who often had to travel long distances under difficult conditions just to access basic healthcare.
According to the Minister, many communities in the region were cut off from health facilities by poor roads, rivers and long distances, making timely medical care a major challenge, a situation he said left residents particularly anxious during emergencies and the rainy season.
He noted that the initiative reflected government’s commitment to ensuring that every citizen, regardless of location or economic status, had access to essential primary healthcare.
Mr Be-Awuribe observed that financial hardship continued to prevent many families from seeking medical attention, pointing out that some households struggled even to raise the small sums needed for transport or basic medication.
The Free Primary Health Care Programme, he said, was designed to remove these barriers so that no one would be denied essential care simply because they could not afford it.
He explained that under the policy, primary healthcare services would be provided completely free of charge, and urged health workers to clearly communicate the scope of the programme to the public.
Patients requiring higher levels of care, he added, would be referred appropriately, with the National Health Insurance Scheme and the Mahama Care initiative providing additional support where necessary.
The Minister commended implementers for collaborating with government to roll out the policy.
He also cautioned health workers and facility managers against charging unauthorised fees or exploiting patients under the guise of offering free healthcare, warning that any form of fraud, overcharging or illegal sale of medicines within health facilities would not be tolerated.
Mr Be-Awuribe appealed to security agencies to remain vigilant against individuals or groups who might attempt to undermine the programme by falsely presenting themselves as providers of free primary healthcare services.
He further encouraged health facilities to attend to persons not yet registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme and to help them enrol, so they could also benefit from referrals and higher-level healthcare services.
The Minister appealed to residents to make regular health screening a habit, stressing that early detection of conditions such as hypertension and other non-communicable diseases could significantly reduce complications and save lives.
He also urged District Chief Executives and District Assemblies to support government’s efforts by constructing additional CHPS compounds and health posts, improving access roads, and providing motorbikes and tricycles to ease the movement of community health workers.
FROM YAHAYA NUHU NADAA, DAMONGO
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