Ghana Healthcare Insurance

Ghana’s 2021 census results report 68.6 % of the population is covered by either the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) or private health insurance schemes. There is a higher rate of health insurance coverage for females (72.6%) than males (64.5%). Health insurance coverage ranges from a low of 51.9% in the Oti Region to a high of 86.2 % in the Upper East Region.

This marks significant growth in coverage compared to 2014-2015, when approximately 40% of the population had an active membership with the NHIS. The Ministry of Health continues to try to advance the national agenda of attaining Universal Health Coverage by 2030, including by conducting extensive community outreach in cities and rural areas.

As part of the November 2021 National Health Insurance Week, Ghana’s Ministry of Health expanded the NHIS Benefit Package to include the coverage of family planning as well as the childhood cancers leukemia, nephroblastoma, retinoblastoma, and neuroblastoma.

The Ministry of Health announced other innovations that highlight:

1) the continued digitization of the healthcare sector in Ghana;
2) efforts to create more transparency in the provision of health services; and
3) efforts to increase the Government’s overall revenue collection.  

The National Health Insurance card will now be linked with the Ghana Card, a national identification card. The NHIS system will allow for Mobile Renewal Service, and a Digital Counter will provide real-time updates of Active Membership.  About 52,832 people were reached during the weeklong series of events in November to mark the third edition of the NHIS week.

For more information on opportunities in the healthcare sector in Ghana, contact Victoria Agbai at Office.Accra@trade.gov, Tel: +233(0)59-415-8954.