Health Ministry Reviews Progress on Key NDC Healthcare Promises

The Ministry of Health has commenced a three-day mid-year review of the government’s health sector commitments under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) 2024 Manifesto, with a strong call for agencies under the ministry to accelerate the delivery of promised interventions.

The review, which began in Ho on Saturday, August 15, 2026, has brought together Board Chairs, Chief Executive Officers, heads of agencies and programmes, as well as directors of the Ministry of Health.

The meeting is being led by the Minister for Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, and is expected to provide a comprehensive assessment of progress made on key government commitments, identify implementation bottlenecks and determine measures required to improve the delivery of healthcare services across the country.

At the opening ceremony, Mr. Akandoh highlighted a number of achievements recorded within the health sector and commended the various agencies and institutions whose work had contributed to those developments.

He, however, charged heads of agencies and Board Chairs to remain focused on the implementation of government policies and ensure that public resources entrusted to the sector were used prudently.

Particular emphasis was placed on compliance with the Public Financial Management Act, with the Minister urging managers of health institutions to strengthen financial controls and ensure accountability in the management of state resources.

The review is expected to assess progress on some of the NDC government’s major health promises, including the implementation of the Free Primary Healthcare initiative, the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as MahamaCare, the retooling of health facilities and efforts to expand coverage under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The introduction of specialised nursing programmes will also come under scrutiny as officials seek to determine the progress made and challenges affecting their implementation.

Beyond these flagship commitments, the ministry will review progress on the construction of additional regional hospitals in the six newly created regions.

The establishment of cataract centres in selected regions, formalisation of allowances for nursing trainees, recruitment of health professionals and the completion of abandoned health projects will also form part of the discussions.

Heads of the various agencies and programmes are expected to present detailed updates on their respective areas, outlining achievements so far, challenges encountered and proposals for accelerating implementation.

The exercise is therefore expected to go beyond a routine assessment and provide an opportunity for the ministry to take corrective measures where programmes have fallen behind schedule.

According to the ministry, the retreat will also include training in Public Financial Management to equip managers within the health sector with the knowledge and skills required to ensure efficient utilisation of public funds and strengthen good governance.

The training comes at a time when public institutions are under increasing pressure to demonstrate value for money in the implementation of government programmes.

Participants at the three-day meeting include Board Chairs and Chief Executive Officers of various health agencies, directors of the Ministry of Health and heads of programmes operating under the ministry.

The ministry says the review forms part of its broader effort to ensure that government commitments translate into tangible improvements in healthcare delivery rather than remaining policy declarations.

The focus on primary healthcare, health insurance, infrastructure, human resources and specialised services reflects government’s stated objective of improving access to quality, affordable and equitable healthcare.

The ministry has assured Ghanaians that it remains committed to working towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC), where citizens can access needed health services without suffering financial hardship.

The Ho review is expected to conclude with a clearer assessment of the health sector’s performance during the first half of the year and a renewed implementation roadmap for the months ahead.

For the Ministry of Health, the message from the retreat is clear: the remaining period of the year must be used to address outstanding challenges, accelerate projects and ensure that the government’s health promises deliver measurable benefits to ordinary Ghanaians.