In a bid to improve healthcare access across Ghana, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama, has pledged to upgrade all health centers into polyclinics, especially in rural communities. He made this announcement during a mini rally in Nabullo, Sissala East, as part of his campaign tour of the Upper West Region.
Mahama emphasized that this initiative would not be a simple rebranding of health facilities but would include the necessary infrastructure to ensure the health centers meet polyclinic standards. “We want to upgrade all health centers to polyclinic status and add the infrastructure that makes them worthy of being called polyclinics,” Mahama said.
He criticized superficial upgrades, saying, “We are not the kind of people that will just come and rename a health facility and say from tomorrow, this your health center is now called a polyclinic. We don’t do that. We would put the infrastructure there to justify that it has risen from a health center into a polyclinic.”
Mahama further stressed the importance of healthcare as a fundamental service that the government owes its people, introducing his vision for a “free primary health care system” that would cover facilities from CHPS compounds to polyclinics. Under this proposed system, citizens would access care at these primary health facilities without the need for a health insurance card or paying premiums. Only when receiving care at higher-level facilities—such as district, regional, or teaching hospitals—would patients need health insurance.
“We’re going to do it so that our people have access to primary health care,” Mahama concluded, signaling his commitment to addressing healthcare challenges, particularly in underserved rural areas.
The NDC’s plan seeks to ensure that all Ghanaians, regardless of location or financial status, can receive quality healthcare.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Emmanuel Mensah
