President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans by the government to introduce health kiosks in busy communities as part of measures to expand access to the Free Primary Health Care programme.
The President said the initiative will complement existing Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds by bringing basic healthcare services closer to people, particularly in areas where large numbers of people engage in economic activities.
He announced on Friday, September 11, 2026, at a durbar held at Fian as part of his two-day working visit to the Upper West Region.
According to President Mahama, the health kiosks will be housed in 20-foot containers and equipped to provide basic outpatient services.
He said the facilities will also be digitally connected to district hospitals, allowing health professionals stationed at the kiosks to consult doctors remotely when they encounter cases beyond their expertise.
“We are introducing health kiosks. So instead of just the CHIPS compound, in places where a lot of people do business, we put a health kiosk there,” President Mahama stated.
He explained that health professionals at the kiosks will use tablets to share patients’ symptoms with doctors at district hospitals, who can then provide guidance on diagnosis and treatment.
“If you need to be transferred, they’ll transfer you to the district hospital for treatment,” he added.
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Samuel Kaba Akoreyea, used the occasion to highlight early progress made under the Free Primary Health Care programme in the Upper West Region.
He disclosed that since the programme commenced in the region on September 7, 2026, more than 5,749 households have been registered, while health workers have conducted over 590 home visits.
“We started on the 7th of September, Monday. We’ve already registered over 5,749 households. And we’ve done over 590 home visits,” Dr Kaba said.
The figures, he noted, reflect the initial efforts to take primary healthcare services directly to households and communities under the new programme.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Health, Dr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, said government is also taking steps to address logistical challenges facing primary healthcare facilities.
He identified inadequate basic equipment as a major challenge affecting health professionals’ ability to deliver quality services.
As part of the Free Primary Health Care programme, the Minister said government has already taken delivery of and distributed 24,000 pieces of basic medical equipment to primary healthcare facilities across the country.
He added that another 12,000 pieces are expected to arrive inextweek.
“One of the major challenges we have in the health sector has to do with the inadequate supply of basic equipment for these health professionals to discharge their duties,” Akandoh revealed.
He assured that regions across the country had received their share of the first consignment, with further supplies expected as the programme expands.
The introduction of health kiosks, coupled with the deployment of additional equipment and the ongoing community-level registration and home visits, forms part of the government’s broader effort to bring primary healthcare services closer to Ghanaians.
By Ibrahim Abubakari Wangara
