The 33rd Annual Conference of the District Directors of Health Services (DDHS) Group, Ghana, has opened with a strong call on District Directors of Health Services to take ownership of the government’s Free Primary Healthcare (FPHC) policy and play a leading role in translating the policy into tangible health outcomes at the community level.
Held under the theme, “From Policy to Practice: The DDHS Driving Free Primary Health Care in Ghana,” the conference seeks to highlight the critical role of District Directors in translating national health policies into practical interventions while strengthening district-level leadership and ownership to ensure accessible, quality and equitable healthcare for all Ghanaians.
The Chairman of the occassion, Professor Albert Luguterah, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS), Navrongo, reminded District Directors of the significant role they have to play in ensuring the successful implementation of the FPHC policy.
He stressed the importance of strong leadership and effective coordination at the district level, noting that the success of the policy would depend largely on how well it is translated into practical interventions that respond to the needs of communities.
The National Chairman of the District Directors of Health Services Group, Dr. Justice Thomas Sevugu reaffirmed the Group’s commitment to supporting the implementation of the FPHC policy despite resource constraints.
He said District Directors were prepared to work with available resources to ensure that the initiative succeeded, stressing that the success of the policy was ultimately in the interest of everyone, including health workers who also depended on the public health system.
Dr. Sevugu noted that the Group had already introduced a number of interventions to support the welfare of health workers and assured the Government of the Group’s continued cooperation in achieving the objectives of the FPHC policy.
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea addressed the District Directors as leaders who were directly responsible for translating policy into action.
Speaking in a fatherly tone, he urged the Directors to clearly understand their responsibilities under the FPHC policy and to focus on the practical steps required to make the initiative successful.
Dr. Akoriyea explained that the initial selection of 150 districts for the FPHC phase one rollout was based on levels of deprivation, with the ultimate objective of extending the programme to all districts in the country by the end of 2027 in phases.
He explained the policy implementation chain, noting that while the Minister’s pronouncements provide the policy direction, the Director-General translates that direction into implementation guidelines. Regional Directors then translate the guidelines into checklists, while District Directors are responsible for turning those checklists into concrete, actionable interventions at the facility and community levels.
The Director-General also called for the effective redistribution of health equipment across districts and regions. He urged managers to assess available equipment alongside the capacity of health personnel to use them and redistribute equipment to facilities where they are most needed and can be put to effective use.
“Instead of keeping equipment where it is not being used, let us give it to facilities that need it and have the human resource capacity to use it effectively,” he urged.
The Guest of Honour, Chiana Pio, Pe Thomas More Ditundini Adiali Ayagtam III, Paramount Chief of the Chiana Traditional Area, President of the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs and Upper East Regional Representative on the Council of State, expressed the hope that the FPHC programme would soon be extended to all districts across the country.
He also called for a lasting solution to the longstanding challenges associated with the posting and distribution of health personnel across the regions.
He entreated the Ministry of Health, Regional Health Directorates, Regional Coordinating Councils and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives to work together to address the issue and ensure a fair and sustainable distribution of health professionals.
The Minister for Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, urged District Directors to take ownership of the FPHC policy and become active partners in its implementation.
He explained that the rollout of the FPHC was not intended to impose additional responsibilities on District Directors but rather to provide the financial and logistical support needed to enable them to perform their existing responsibilities more effectively.
According to the Minister, the FPHC policy represents a deliberate shift in Ghana’s healthcare delivery approach from predominantly “sick care” to promotive and preventive healthcare.
He said the District Directors were essential to this transformation because they were the health managers closest to the communities and were therefore best positioned to ensure that the policy translated into improved health outcomes.
Hon. Akandoh further explained that the FPHC policy forms part of a broader three-tier approach to achieving Universal Health Coverage in Ghana, working alongside the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the Ghana Medical Trust Fund.
He noted that FPHC complements the NHIS and is designed to strengthen preventive, promotive and curative healthcare at CHPS compounds, health centres and polyclinics.
The 33rd Annual Conference provides an important platform for District Directors to deliberate on practical strategies for implementing the FPHC policy, addressing district-level challenges and strengthening leadership, accountability and ownership.
The conference is expected to reinforce the commitment of District Directors to ensuring that government health policies are not only developed at the national level but are effectively translated into quality services that reach individuals, families and communities across Ghana.
The Ghana Health Service remains committed to working with the Ministry of Health, District Health Directorates, regional authorities and other stakeholders to ensure that the Free Primary Healthcare policy delivers accessible, quality and equitable healthcare to all Ghanaians.