Mahama’s free primary healthcare promise shows his ignorance – Dr Nsiah Asare

Dr. Nsiah Asare, the Presidential advisor on health, has stated that someone who did not understand the country’s health system would be the first to offer free primary health care.

Following comments made by the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Mr. John Dramani Mahama that when elected into office he would institute free healthcare, adding that “this will eradicate the issue of cost from healthcare which had been a blockade for most Ghanaians.

According to Mr. Mahama, “despite the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), there were still flaws in our healthcare system across the country as such the new policy to be instituted would fill these holes and make the system better.

“The free primary healthcare plan which shall be present in all CHPS compounds, polyclinics, health centres, and district hospitals, would ensure that the commonest diseases and illnesses which plagues Ghana would be treated and cure swiftly before they progress any further,” he noted.

However, the advisor on health to the President stated, in an interview on Hello FM, stated that the NHIS was already performing effectively and was proving equal healthcare delivery across Ghana, therefore, the focus of the NPP government was to strengthen the scheme.

Dr. Nsiah Asare added that “primary health care is the basic and essential aspect of every local level to district hospital. It includes receiving health care at a policlinic or during an emergency treatment at your first point of treatment, weighing of newborn babies, or antenatal clinical. Therefore they include health services we receive at CHPS Compounds, maternity homes, health centre, and policlinic and at the district hospitals are all primary health care.

“What we believe is that through the toughening of the NHIS scheme we will be able to provide better medical treatment to all citizens so that none will suffer,” Dr. Nsiah Asare insisted.