Mahama: Gov’t Expanding Free Primary Healthcare, NHIS
Mahama: Gov’t Expanding Free Primary Healthcare, Strengthening NHIS
President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to improving healthcare access for all Ghanaians, pointing to several ongoing efforts from expanding free primary healthcare to strengthening the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Mahama’s remarks came after he toured Global Mercy, the world’s largest civilian hospital ship, currently docked at Tema Port. The visit clearly left an impression on him, particularly his conversations with Ghanaians receiving life-changing treatment on board many for childhood orthopaedic conditions they’d waited years to address.
Sharing his reflections on Facebook, Mahama welcomed Mercy Ships back to Ghana for what marks their fifth mission in the country since 1991. He described the organisation as something rare in today’s world. In a world where countries and individuals are increasingly focused on self-interest, Mercy Ships remains a floating vessel of true mercy and humanism, he wrote.
He highlighted just how significant the mission’s impact has been. Over its planned 10-month stay in Ghana, the team will continue providing direct patient care while also training local health workers alongside their international medical staff a combination that extends the mission’s benefits well beyond the patients treated on board.
On a lighter note, Mahama admitted to some initial assumptions about what sailing would feel like. As someone who had never sailed on a ship before, I expected us to be walking like sailors. I was pleasantly surprised by how steady and stable the ship is. It felt just like any modern hospital on land, he wrote.
Mahama expressed genuine appreciation for the medical crew, volunteers, donors, local partners, and everyone connected to Mercy Ships, noting that this visit won’t be their last. As I told them today, this is not the first time they have been here, and it will certainly not be the last, he said.
But he was also clear that humanitarian missions like this one don’t replace the government’s own responsibility to its citizens. While we appreciate humanitarian support, my administration remains firmly committed to expanding access to quality healthcare for all Ghanaians, he stressed.
Mahama outlined several specific efforts underway as part of that broader commitment expanding free primary healthcare, strengthening the NHIS, investing in hospitals and health workers, and using the Ghana Medical Trust Fund to help ease the financial burden that serious non-communicable diseases place on families.
Taken together, his message framed Mercy Ships’ visit as a welcome complement to government’s own healthcare investments, rather than a substitute for them a reminder that both external support and sustained domestic investment have a role to play in improving healthcare for Ghanaians.
