The Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) has thrown its support behind government's newly launched Free Primary Healthcare initiative, describing it as a bold and transformative policy capable of accelerating Ghana's journey toward Universal Health Coverage.

According Executive Director, Dr. Peter Kwame Yeboah, the policy aligns closely with CHAG's long-standing mission of providing equitable healthcare, particularly for people living in deprived and hard-to-reach communities.

"This initiative reflects Ghana's health priorities and provides us with another opportunity to deliver compassionate, accessible and sustainable healthcare. As people of faith, we are gathered not only to engage policymakers, partners and other stakeholders, but also to reaffirm our responsibility to champion this initiative and continue Christ's healing ministry.

He said CHAG would not merely participate in discussions around the policy but would actively champion its implementation through its nationwide network of health facilities.

"As people of faith, we are gathered not only to engage policymakers, partners and stakeholders, but also to reaffirm our responsibility to champion this initiative and continue Christ's healing ministry," he said.

Dr. Yeboah made these comments at the opening of the 2026 Annual Conference of the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) in Koforidua.

The Free Primary Healthcare initiative, launched recently by President John Mahama, seeks to remove financial barriers that prevent many Ghanaians from accessing essential healthcare services at the primary level.

The policy is designed to provide free access to basic healthcare services -including disease prevention, health promotion, maternal and child healthcare, treatment of common illnesses, immunisation and management of chronic conditions - through Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds, health centres and district-level facilities.

Primary healthcare is widely regarded as the foundation of an effective health system because it focuses on preventing illness, detecting diseases early and treating common health conditions before they become severe or require expensive specialist care.

The World Health Organisation considers strong primary healthcare essential to achieving Universal Health Coverage, ensuring people receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship.

Dr. Yeboah said the policy therefore presents an important opportunity to strengthen healthcare delivery across Ghana while extending quality services to populations that have historically faced geographical and economic barriers to care.

He noted that CHAG is uniquely positioned to support the initiative because of its extensive presence in rural and underserved communities.

Although CHAG operates just 17 per cent of Ghana's health infrastructure, it delivers between 13 and 14 per cent of the country's healthcare services annually through its 317 health facilities spread across all 16 regions.

Every year, between eight and ten million patients receive care at CHAG facilities, which provide preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative, palliative and specialist health services.

Beyond healthcare delivery, Dr. Yeboah said the association also plays a critical role in producing the country's health workforce.

Its 22 health training institutions graduate about 3,400 health professionals annually, equipping them with both professional competence and ethical values.

He pointed to facilities such as St. Martin de Porres Hospital at Eikwe in the Western Region and St. Joseph's Hospital at Jirapa in the Upper West Region as examples of CHAG's commitment to serving remote communities, including border populations from Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso.

According to him, CHAG has deliberately maintained its presence in communities where healthcare providers often struggle to operate.

"For years, many institutions have come and gone, but CHAG facilities have remained, providing hope, stability and continuity of healthcare services," he indicated.

He stressed that achieving Universal Health Coverage would require strong collaboration between government, faith-based health providers and development partners, adding that CHAG stands ready to contribute its nationwide infrastructure, workforce and decades of experience to ensure every Ghanaian can access quality healthcare regardless of where they live.