The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee and Member of Parliament for Effiduase/Asokore, Nana Ayew Afriyie, has criticised government’s planned allocation of GH₵4.2 billion annually to the proposed Free Primary Healthcare programme, describing it as a misplaced priority.

His comments, made on JoyNews, follow revelations by the Minister for Health regarding the projected annual cost of implementing the policy, which is intended to expand access to basic healthcare services nationwide.

Dr Ayew Afriyie argued that Ghana already has an established framework for primary healthcare delivery through Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds and community health workers.

He maintained that public awareness of preventive healthcare practices is not lacking, citing ongoing community-level health education efforts.

“Who doesn’t know about dietary plans? Who doesn’t know about promotive healthcare? There are community health workers and auxiliary nurses who continuously educate people,” he stated.

The lawmaker further raised concerns about the state of existing health infrastructure, noting that several district hospitals operate from outdated facilities, including colonial-era buildings and repurposed CHPS compounds.

According to him, government should instead prioritise completing ongoing hospital projects under the Agenda 111 programme.

“The most important thing is that every place has a CHPS compound and a health centre. What they lack are modern district hospitals,” he said.

He proposed a phased approach to completing Agenda 111 projects over the next decade, arguing that this would deliver more sustainable benefits.

Dr Ayew Afriyie stressed that while strengthening primary healthcare is essential, government must adopt a balanced and strategic investment approach that prioritises completing critical infrastructure already underway.