The Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) has reaffirmed the critical role of faith-based health institutions in delivering healthcare to some of the country's most underserved communities, saying its extensive presence in rural Ghana remains indispensable to achieving equitable access to healthcare.

Speaking at the opening of the 2026 CHAG Annual Conference in Koforidua, Executive Director, Dr. Peter Kwame Yeboah, said the association has deliberately established and maintained health facilities in deprived and hard-to-reach communities where access to healthcare remains a major challenge.

"CHAG has deliberately chosen to establish and maintain facilities in deprived, rural and hard-to-reach areas to ensure that every Ghanaian has access to quality healthcare, regardless of where they live," he said.

According to him, CHAG's contribution to Ghana's health sector extends far beyond the number of facilities it operates.

Although the association accounts for just 7 per cent of the country's health infrastructure, it delivers between 30 and 40 per cent of all healthcare services nationwide through its network of 375 health facilities spread across the 16 regions.

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

Dr. Yeboah said CHAG also provides strategic value and vital leverage for Ghana's health security through its network of health facilities located in border communities that serve both Ghanaians and patients from neighbouring countries.

He cited the Presbyterian Hospital in Bawku, which serves patients from Ghana, Togo and Burkina Faso; St. Theresa's Catholic Hospital in Nandom, which serves communities in Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso; Presbyterian Hospital in Dormaa, which provides healthcare to patients from both Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire; and St. Martin de Porres Catholic Hospital at Eikwe, which serves communities in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire.

According to him, these facilities not only provide essential healthcare to underserved border communities but also strengthen regional health security by extending critical health services across neighbouring countries.

"These are strategic national assets. Another unique strength of CHAG is our unwavering commitment to remain in communities where others may leave. When many providers withdraw, CHAG facilities continue to serve. For years, many institutions have come and gone, but CHAG facilities have remained, providing hope, stability and continuity of healthcare services. CHAG has deliberately chosen to establish and maintain facilities in deprived, rural and hard-to-reach areas to ensure that every Ghanaian has access to quality healthcare, regardless of where they live," he added.

According to Dr. Yeboah, CHAG facilities have remained operational in many rural communities for decades, providing continuity of care even when other institutions have struggled to sustain services.

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

Beyond healthcare delivery, Dr. Yeboah said the association is also making a significant contribution to Ghana's health workforce.

CHAG operates 22 accredited health training institutions, which collectively graduate about 3,400 health professionals every year.

The graduates, he said, are equipped with both professional competence and ethical values, helping to strengthen healthcare delivery across the country.

Dr. Yeboah described CHAG's dual role as both a healthcare provider and a producer of health professionals as a unique advantage within Ghana's health system.

"First, we are a major healthcare service provider. Second, we are a key producer of the country's health workforce," he said.

He stressed that strengthening healthcare in Ghana will require continued investment in rural health facilities, where millions of people continue to depend on faith-based providers for essential health services.

The annual conference brought together health professionals, administrators, policymakers and development partners to discuss ways of strengthening people-centred healthcare and advancing CHAG's mission of extending Christ's healing ministry across Ghana.