TEMA, Ghana, 18 April: President John Dramani Mahama has clarified public concerns surrounding the use of motorbikes, tricycles, and essential medical equipment under the government’s Free Primary Health Care Programme.
Addressing residents in Tamale on Saturday, April 18, 2026, during his two-day working tour of the Northern Region, the President explained that the tricycles are not intended to serve as ambulances, but rather as mobility support for frontline health workers.
“Those tricycles are not ambulances; those tricycles are meant for health workers and health volunteers to go from village to village for screening that’s what they are meant for.”
He noted that the initiative is designed to improve access to basic healthcare services at the community level by enabling health personnel and volunteers to easily reach underserved and remote areas.
President Mahama had earlier, on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, officially launched the landmark Free Primary Health Care Programme at the Shai Osudoku District Hospital in the Greater Accra Region.
The programme aims to expand access to quality and affordable healthcare for all citizens.
However, the rollout was met with some public misunderstanding, with sections of the public interpreting the tricycles provided under the programme as emergency ambulances.
Clarifying the issue, President Mahama reiterated that the tricycles are solely meant to facilitate the movement of health workers and community health volunteers, and are not equipped for emergency medical transport.
The Free Primary Health Care Programme is expected to significantly reduce barriers to essential healthcare services particularly at the grassroots level while strengthening Ghana’s commitment to equitable and inclusive health delivery.
The clarification came as part of President Mahama’s ongoing Resetting Ghana tour of the Northern Region, which includes project inspections and stakeholder engagements across Tamale and Bimbilla.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh (#RomeoWrites✍️) / Ahotoronline.com | Ghana 🇬🇭
