Ghana’s National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Chief Executive Bernard Okoe Boye has said, 10 million out of the over 30 million people in Ghana are without any form of health insurance.

According to him, “most of these people are in the middle and upper class,” because such individuals hold the assumption that “they can afford healthcare any time they are sick.” He made this revelation at the 14th Global Health Insurance Conference, which was held in Praque, Czech Republic.

Speaking as Africa's exclusive representative at the 14th Global Health Insurance Conference, the NHIA Chief Executive gave an overview of Ghana’s Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the African health insurance space, intimating that the Ghanaian National Health Insurance Scheme remains the primary vehicle for achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.

In his speech on the theme “Ghana’s National Health Insurance, the journey so far,” Mr Okoe Boye called for foreign direct investment in the medical insurance sector.

He said available records indicated that a little over 500,000 residents were registered by Ghana’s private health insurance companies and underscored the need for more investors.

“The National Health Insurance Authority, as the regulator of the private health insurance space, is more than willing to facilitate the participation of private partners.” Mr Okoe Boye went on to explain that the provision of capital in the private health insurance industry will “also create jobs for the youth.”

“We at the National Health Insurance Authority are not in competition with the private insurers. Our objective is to ensure that every Ghanaian is on health insurance, be it private or public. “ He said the NHIS remained Ghana’s leading vehicle to attain Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by the year 2030.

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was established by the government of Ghana under the leadership of John Agyekum Kufuor in 2003.

The program was a form of national health insurance established to provide equitable access and financial coverage for basic health care services to Ghanaian citizens. The system has been found to have made Ghana’s rate of health insurance one of the highest in Africa, through funding Kufuor in 2003.

The program was a form of national health insurance established to provide equitable access and financial coverage for basic health care services to Ghanaian citizens. The system has been found to have made Ghana’s rate of health insurance one of the highest in Africa, though funding may complicate its problems future.

Source: The Independent Ghana