ISAR Publisher

International Scientific and Academic Research Publisher

Submit Manuscript

GHANAS NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME: RETROSPECTIVE CASE REVIEW


Author: Richard Owusu Nyarko, M.D, Ph.D, James Yamoah, Ph.D*, Paul Owusu Boateng, MBBS, M.A, Edward A Boateng, MBChB, MGCS, FWACS, Roshan Kumar, Anubhav Dubey, Ph.D, Rosemond Owusu Nyarko, B.A, MSW, RSW, Justice Abdulai ESQ (LLM), Elorm Kwami Gorni (LLM), Ebenezer Anyan MBA
School of Theology and Ministry and the Vice President, Ghana Christian University College, Accra. .
Published Date: 2024-09-13
Keywords: Health Insurance, Health care finance, Budget, Universal Health Coverage
Abstract:
Introduction: Several African countries have health insurance schemes or programs for their citizens and Ghana is one of such countries in Africa having taken bold steps to achieving such milestone. Programmes. These programmes seek to extend health insurance to the marginalised groups within the population and citizenry. The purpose of this article is to have retrospective review of the national health insurance scheme in Ghana, in relation to the restructured National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and their ability to serve all Ghanaians irrespective of one’s financial capabilities. Method: This study is a retrospective review using secondary data and records, reports as obtained from official manuals, from the former National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) of Ghana, published reports and data on their website as of 2018/19, world health organisation reports as of 2022 and manuals from the ministry of health Ghana and also reviews from works done by researchers of 2022 that used the National Health Insurance Scheme of Ghana as a case. This was done with search engines such as google scholar, world of science, academia.edu, Results: The authors of this work found that health insurance been operated by the government of Ghana was the dominant model in Ghana but with open space that has accommodated many private funded health insurance companies to operate within laid done regulations although the private health insurance was still marginal as of 2022 with reference to the population of Ghana in 2022. The review also confirmed the limitations of contribution-based financing and the need to strengthen tax-based financing in a way that will not burden the ordinary Ghanaian. Conclusion: The National Health Insurance Authority of Ghana is more likely to contribute to the achievement of universal health coverage (UHC) goals only if it ensures better management and enhance innovative way of adding resources on a larger scale while widening coverage on many diseases and treatment options with a unique feature of covering all primary health conditions and covering paediatric secondary conditions like some paediatric cancers and geriatric (old age) conditions with rolling out co - sharing premiums for diseases like renal failures or kidney diseases that warrant frequent dialysis for the working class.