President John Dramani Mahama has moved to clear up public misunderstanding over the use of tricycles under the government’s Free Primary Healthcare Programme, stressing that they are not ambulances.
His clarification follows debate sparked after the programme was launched at the Shai-Osudoku District Hospital in Dodowa on April 15, 2026, where tricycles were seen as part of the health outreach logistics.
Speaking at a sod-cutting ceremony for a 24-hour model market in Bimbila in the Northern Region, the President explained that the vehicles are strictly for frontline health outreach work.
“Those tricycles are not ambulances. Those tricycles are meant for the health workers and the health volunteers to go from village to village for screening. That is what they are meant for so at the back of the tricycle they have a compartment where they can keep vaccines to keep them cool,” he said.
He added that the deployment strategy differs by region based on terrain and the capabilities of health workers.
“In the north, a lot of our sisters who are health workers can ride motorcycles and so when they go for health screening, they use motorcycles,” he explained.
“And in the south, many of the health workers cannot ride a motorcycle but you need to give them a means of transport to be able to go and do the work you’ve given them,” he added.
President Mahama said the initiative is part of a broader effort to expand healthcare access and strengthen community-based outreach, especially in remote and underserved areas.
