CHAG Delivers 40% of Ghana's Healthcare From Just 7% of Facilities, Conference Told

The Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) is punching well above its weight in the country's health sector, delivering between 30 and 40 per cent of all healthcare services in Ghana despite owning only about seven per cent of the nation's health infrastructure. That striking figure was disclosed by CHAG's Executive Director, Dr Peter Kwame Yeboah, as he addressed delegates at the opening of the 2026 CHAG Annual Conference in Koforidua.

Dr Yeboah said CHAG's 375 health facilities, spread across all 16 regions of the country, provide care to between eight and ten million people every year. "Every year, between eight and ten million Ghanaians receive compassionate, holistic and quality healthcare through our network of 375 health facilities," he told the gathering, adding that services range from preventive and curative care to specialist and referral services.

The Executive Director also highlighted CHAG's critical role in border communities, where several of its hospitals serve patients from neighbouring countries. Among them are the Presbyterian Hospital in Bawku, which draws patients from Togo and Burkina Faso; St. Theresa's Catholic Hospital in Nandom, which serves communities in Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso; and Presbyterian Hospital in Dormaa and St. Martin de Porres Catholic Hospital at Eikwe, both of which also cater to patients from Côte d'Ivoire. Dr Yeboah said this cross-border reach strengthens regional health security.

Beyond service delivery, CHAG trains approximately 3,400 health professionals every year through its 22 accredited health training institutions, producing nurses, midwives, physiotherapists and other middle-level health workers. Dr Yeboah described CHAG as the only implementing partner of the Ministry of Health that simultaneously delivers healthcare and trains the future health workforce.

On the government's Free Primary Health Care initiative, Dr Yeboah expressed cautious support, warning that the policy's success would hinge on implementation. "The promise of Free Primary Health Care is unquestionable. Its aspirations are noble. Its vision is compelling. However, every great policy ultimately succeeds or fails at the point of implementation," he said, calling for strong partnerships and sustained investment.

The 2026 CHAG Annual Conference is being held under the theme "Positioning CHAG to Deliver People-Centred Free Primary Health Care at the Community Level," bringing together health professionals, policymakers, development partners and faith-based health institutions to chart a course for primary healthcare in Ghana.