Here's how much NDC will spend on free primary healthcare plan

The Deputy Campaign Manager of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Alex Segbefia has said the free primary healthcare plan promised by the flagbearer of the party, John Dramani Mahama, for all Ghanaians will cost $18 million.

According to him, the healthcare plan will cover persons who seek healthcare services at the district level and lower.

"We have costed it. It is going to cost us $18 million...in that policy, we are saying that anybody who goes to a district hospital and below [will get] free health care," he said.

Giving insights on how the plan will be implemented if the NDC wins the 2020 general elections, Alex Segbefia said "The plan is to leave regional hospitals to deal with the more serious cases which they are meant for.

"It is clogging up our regional and tertiary institutions for things that can be done elsewhere. We have to move the people to areas where they can be dealt with; from the CHPS compounds to the health centres to the polyclinics, to the district hospitals."

"We have just taken $100 million under COVID. We have taken another $1 billion as a loan. You mean as a country, we can't find an extra $18 million to give free healthcare from district hospitals and below?" he queried.

John Mahama unveiling his running mate, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, said the healthcare plan will be implemented to ensure that both the young and elderly have free primary healthcare.

"We will implement a free primary healthcare plan. This will make the provision of primary health care to all Ghanaians, young and elderly, free," he said.