A member of the NPP communications team, Dr. Ezekiel Agyekum Obeng, has argued that the government’s free primary healthcare policy is not a new initiative, but rather a repackaging of existing components within Ghana’s health system.
Speaking in an interview on GH Today on GHOne TV on Thursday, April 16, 2026, Dr. Obeng said the policy largely draws from already established frameworks, particularly the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) system.
“In school, with the community health lectures we took… everything we are saying today is already contained in the CHIPS idea,” he said.
He explained that the CHPS model already delivers basic healthcare services at the community level, including early identification and treatment of minor conditions.
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“If you go to the community and you identify a child having diarrhea, you bring to the CHIPS compound, the policy is already there,” he noted.
Dr. Obeng also questioned the novelty of screening and referral mechanisms being highlighted under the new policy, stating that similar processes already exist under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
“If anyone is sick and you do any form of screening and you find the person, NHIS can test for it,” he said.
He further argued that basic health checks at facilities are already covered under existing arrangements. “The basic vitals you take… if you walk to the facility, do you pay for those vitals?” he asked.
According to him, the policy appears to combine several existing healthcare interventions under a single framework. “You are curating part of the concept of the CHIPS compound… part of the functions of NHIS,” he said.
Dr. Obeng added that even health promotion and wellness initiatives are not new, referencing earlier interventions within the system.
“You are adapting the health promotion concept which NHIS introduced in 2024… you are curating part of the wellness clinic concepts in our hospitals,” he said.
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He concluded that the policy essentially consolidates existing services rather than introducing entirely new interventions. “Bringing them together to say I’m offering you what already is yours for free.”
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/Abigail Praise Pabai
