Public Interest Advocate Rodaline Imoru-Ayarna has confirmed that the free primary healthcare programme under the MahamaCares initiative is financed entirely through domestic resources, pushing back against concerns that the government may have resorted to borrowing to sustain the scheme.
Speaking on New Day on TV3, monitored by MyNewsGh, Imoru-Ayarna said the figures are clear and the source of funding leaves no room for ambiguity. “There is a 1.5 billion Ghana cedi initial investment and about 1.2 billion annually, and this is all internal money. We have not borrowed,” she stated.
The government allocated GH¢1.5 billion specifically for the Free Primary Healthcare package in the 2026 national budget, with the health sector as a whole receiving GH¢34 billion, representing more than 11 percent of total government expenditure. Imoru-Ayarna credited stronger fiscal oversight for making the domestic financing possible, saying the administration is “managing our resources in a way that benefits all Ghanaians.”
On implementation, she said deployment is imminent. “We are beginning with 150 facilities. The equipment has been procured and will be deployed in the next two to three weeks,” she stated, adding that the programme will be carefully monitored before expanding to the rest of the country.
The programme is being implemented in phases between 2026 and 2028, beginning with 150 of the country’s 261 districts, with priority given to underserved communities.
President John Dramani Mahama launched the Free Primary Healthcare programme at Dodowa, near Accra, as part of broader efforts to achieve universal health coverage, expanding access to care, improving early interventions, and advancing Ghana’s long-term goal of equitable healthcare for all.
The initiative operates alongside the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, also referred to as MahamaCares, which provides additional support for specialised conditions and expensive treatments such as dialysis.
