Effiduase-Asokore MP, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye, has raised serious concerns about what he describes as contradictions and inefficiencies in the government’s approach to addressing Ghana’s healthcare challenges.
Speaking during the debate on the State of the Nation Address in Parliament on March 7, 2025, Dr. Ayew Afriye questioned the rationale behind the proposed Ghana Medical Trust Fund, arguing that it duplicates existing provisions under the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
“All the diseases this Ghana Medical Trust Fund intends to support are already covered under the NHIA budget,” he stated. “Breast cancer, cervical cancer, and major childhood cancers have been included in the benefit package, so there is no need for another fund.”
He also took issue with the government’s Onuado Health Care Policy, outlined in the NDC’s manifesto, which seeks to deploy mobile medical vans to provide specialist healthcare in underserved communities. Dr. Ayew Afriye dismissed the initiative as a temporary fix that cannot replace long-term infrastructural projects like Agenda 111.
“Agenda 111, which strengthens our healthcare system and creates jobs, cannot be replaced by this so-called Onuado Health Care Policy, which is merely a stop-gap measure,” he argued.
Calling for a more rational allocation of resources, Dr. Ayew Afriye urged the government to prioritize primary healthcare and the completion of existing infrastructure rather than introducing new, potentially redundant initiatives.
The Agenda 111 project, initiated under the previous administration, aims to construct hospitals in districts without healthcare facilities to bridge the country’s health infrastructure gap. According to Dr. Ayew Afriye, focusing on its completion would provide lasting solutions rather than short-term interventions.
