First Lady, Mrs Lordina Dramani Mahama, has welcomed the government’s plans to implement a Free Primary Healthcare Programme aimed at expanding access to quality medical services nationwide.

Speaking at a fundraising gala in New York, organised by the Africa Development Foundation and Helping Africa Foundation in support of the Lordina Foundation’s maternity projects, Mrs. Mahama said the initiative was a positive response to challenges her foundation has observed across Ghana.

“The government has announced plans to implement a Free Primary Healthcare Programme for all Ghanaians,” she noted. “This will come with the provision of CHPS compounds and health centres in our communities, while existing district hospitals and polyclinics will be upgraded with modern equipment and medical personnel.”

Highlighting the urgency of healthcare reforms, Mrs. Mahama cited worrying statistics: over 3,000 babies die every month before their first birthday, with an infant mortality rate of 52 deaths per 1,000 live births, and a maternal mortality rate of 103 per 100,000 live births.

“No mother, anywhere, should face childbirth gripped by such fear for her life or her baby,” she stressed.

The First Lady called for continued oversight to ensure that government commitments translate into real improvements on the ground. “My advocacy as First Lady, in collaboration with my sister, the Vice President of Ghana, is to ensure that the Chief of Staff and the Minister for Health fulfil the government's promises to the people,” she said.

The Lordina Foundation, which she leads as Founder and President, has already constructed and equipped three model maternity and children’s wards in Bole, Nkoranza, and Bodom, and renovated key health centres including the Hohoe Adabraka Health Centre.

She urged donors at the gala to support the foundation’s expansion plans, noting that it was now stepping onto a “truly international stage” to complement public sector reforms and amplify its impact in improving maternal and child health.