The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has appealed to the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) to leverage its extensive reach to support the government’s flagship Free Primary Healthcare programme, saying the association remains indispensable to efforts aimed at ensuring equitable access to healthcare services.
Addressing participants at the 2026 CHAG Annual Conference, Akandoh acknowledged the significant role faith-based health facilities have played over the years in delivering care to populations in remote and underserved parts of the country.
He indicated that CHAG’s longstanding presence in communities where access to healthcare remains limited places the association at the centre of efforts to successfully implement the Free Primary Healthcare policy.
According to the Minister, the initiative is designed to remove barriers to basic healthcare services by providing communities with access to maternal and child health services, immunisation, malaria treatment, routine screening for non-communicable diseases, and other essential interventions.
Beyond expanding access, Akandoh underscored the need for healthcare providers to improve patients’ experiences within health facilities, stressing that professionalism must be accompanied by empathy and respect.
“Patients often feel treated, but not always cared for,” he said, noting that meaningful healthcare reforms should ultimately leave patients feeling valued and supported throughout their interaction with the health system.
On his part, the Executive Director of CHAG, Dr. Peter Kwame Yeboah, reiterated the association’s readiness to align its operations with national health priorities and deepen efforts to strengthen primary healthcare services.
He noted that many CHAG facilities continue to serve as the first and, in some cases, the only point of care for residents in deprived communities, making sustained collaboration with government and other stakeholders crucial.
Dr. Yeboah called for stronger partnerships involving government institutions, development partners, faith-based organisations and local communities to promote innovation, widen healthcare coverage and improve health outcomes.
The conference, held under the theme “Positioning CHAG to Deliver People-Centred Free Primary Health Care at the Community Level,” also seeks to align CHAG’s activities with the objectives of Ghana’s Free Primary Healthcare initiative and the 2026 World Health Summit Regional focus on community-led healthcare systems.
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