President John Dramani Mahama says coverage under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has increased from about 60 percent to 76 percent of Ghana’s population since his government assumed office.
He said the increase represents significant progress towards the government’s objective of achieving Universal Health Coverage and ensuring that every Ghanaian can access healthcare when needed.
President Mahama made the disclosure during a Free Primary Healthcare Durbar in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District of the Upper West Region as part of his two-day Resetting Ghana Tour.
According to him, Ghana’s population of about 34 million means that achieving Universal Health Coverage requires ensuring that every citizen has access to affordable healthcare.
He said although NHIS coverage had increased substantially, about 24 percent of the population remained outside the scheme, raising concerns about the barriers preventing them from accessing healthcare.
President Mahama explained that in many cases, the challenge was not simply the inability to pay for healthcare but the long distances people had to travel to reach health facilities.
He said the government’s Free Primary Healthcare Programme is therefore designed to complement the NHIS by taking basic healthcare services closer to communities.
The President said patients accessing services at CHPS compounds, health centres and polyclinics under the programme would not need an NHIS card and would receive basic treatment and medicines free of charge.
However, he urged Ghanaians to continue registering with the NHIS because patients referred beyond the primary healthcare level would require the scheme to access treatment at district hospitals and other facilities.
President Mahama also said the NHIS had improved significantly under his administration.
He disclosed that when the government assumed office, health facilities were owed substantial arrears, making it difficult for some hospitals to recover the cost of treating insured patients.
He said those arrears had now been cleared, while NHIS claims were being paid promptly.
According to him, reimbursement rates had also been increased after remaining unchanged for more than 15 years.
President Mahama said the improvements would ensure that no hospital had reason to refuse treatment because NHIS claims had not been paid.
He urged Ghanaians to keep their NHIS cards because they could become essential when they require healthcare beyond the primary level.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️)/ Presidential Affairs Correspondent | Ghana 🇬🇭
