Ghana national health insurance scheme open knowledge. Ministry of health august 2004 ghana health service. National health insurance nhi, sometimes called statutory health insurance shi, is a system of health insurance that insures a national population against the costs of health care. Learning from case studies of india, colombia, and thailand. National health insurance in south africa policy paper. The nhis in ghana is a governmentsponsored social health insurance scheme funded primarily by taxation through the national health insurance levy 70%, social security contributions 17%, investment income 8%, and premiums and registration fees 5%. The national health insurance scheme nhis in ghana was established by the national health insurance act, 2003 act 650 and national health insurance regulations, 2004 l. Ghanas national health insurance scheme ghana is the first country in africa to implement a national. Ghanas national health insurance scheme in the context of the health mdgs. Ghana s national health insurance scheme nhis was created by the national health insurance act of august 2003, and is one of very few attempts by a subsaharan african country to implement a national level, universal health insurance program. Background the introduction of the national health insurance scheme nhis in ghana in 2003 significantly contributed to improved health services utilization and health outcomes. Pdf an evaluation of the national health insurance scheme. Akor director ppme, also coordinator of the national health insurance scheme, mr.
Health insurance scheme nhis1 to enhance the performance of its health system, paying particular. History of nhis in ghana nhia in ghana ghana health news. Her responsibilities in the world bank also include preparing, supervising, and evaluating lending operations at the country level. The total number of inpatient and outpatient visits to health facilities rose. Trends and characteristics of enrolment in the national. Research open access the financial protection effect of ghana. Household perceptions and their implications for enrolment. Boosting membership of the scheme will need to be accompanied by a widening the payment net if the scheme is to remain financially. History of nhis the national health insurance scheme is a form of national health insurance established by the government of ghana, with a goal to provide equitable access and financial. Obstacles in the process of establishing sustainable national. It covers 95% of health conditions in ghana and includes access to a var.
Ghanas national health insurance scheme ghana is the first country in africa to implement a national health insurance scheme nhis 14 to meet the. Research open access the financial protection effect of. How to register for national health insurance scheme gh. The scheme provides equitable access and financial coverage for basic health care services to residents in ghana. Government believes that if the country can feel and act in unity about football and rugby, surely we can do the same when it comes to matters of life and death, health, and illness. Ghanas national health insurance scheme nhis was created by the national health insurance act of august 2003, and is one of very few attempts by a sub. Ghana is the first country in africa to implement a national health insurance scheme nhis to meet the needs of its population with the aim of achieving uhc.
Ability of the nhis to continue its operations in ghana is threatened financially and. The national health insurance scheme in ghana is deemed as one of the legacies of the john kufuor administration. Of ghana entitled national health insurance act, 2012 an act to establish a national health insurance authority to implemnt a national health insurance scheme, establish a national health insurance fund to pay for the cost of health care services to members of the scheme, establish private health insurance schemes, and to provide for related. In countries such as canada, payment is made by the government directly from tax revenue and this is known as singlepayer health care. The ghana national health insurance scheme nhis was established as part of a poverty reduction strategy to make health care more affordable to ghanaians. This is followed by a look at the prospects for private health insurance schemes. Is ghanas nhis on course to deliver or achieve universal health coverage. The national health insurance scheme nhis is a body corporate established under act 35 of 1999 constitution by the federal government of nigeria to improve the health of all nigerians at an affordable cost. To determine whether enrollment in the nhis reduces the likelihood of.
Obstacles in the process of establishing sustainable national health insurance scheme. The national health insurance levy nhil, which is 2. The national health insurance scheme is form of the national health insurance established by the government of ghana with the aim of providing equitable access and financial coverage for the basic. The national health insurance nhi is a health financing system that is designed to pool funds to provide access to quality affordable personal health services for all south africans based on their health needs, irrespective of their socioeconomic status. National health insurance act, 2012 an act to establish a national health insurance authority to implemnt a national health insurance scheme, establish a national health insurance fund to pay for the cost of health care services to members of the scheme, establish private health insurance schemes, and to provide for related matters. Pdf ghanas national health insurance scheme in the. Migrant female head porters enrolment in and utilisation. Evaluating the impact of the national health insurance scheme of. Design secondary analysis of data from the sixth round. However, stagnating active membership, reports of poor quality health care rendered to nhisinsured clients and cost escalations have raised concerns on the operational and financial sustainability of the scheme.
The national health insurance scheme is a form of social intervention established by the government of ghana in the year 2003. Membership of the nhis is legally mandatory, but in practice membership is voluntary. Evaluating the impact of the national health insurance scheme. The doors ofthe ministry of health and the national health insurance council. National health insurance authority ministry of health. Open access research is enrolment in the national health. The ghana health service would like to acknowledge the support of ghana statistical services in the provision of health related statistics to the general public and other health implementing agencies and development partners. The law makes it compulsory for all ghanaians to join a health insurance scheme in ghana. The national health insurance nhi is a financing system that will make sure that all citizens of south africa and legal longterm residents are provided with essential healthcare, regardless of their. May 18, 2018 the national health insurance scheme is a form of national health insurance established by the government of ghana, with a goal to provide equitable access and financial coverage for basic health care services to ghanaian citizens. Pdf on feb 28, 2018, dennis asante and others published the assessment of financial sustainability of health insurance in africa. In performing its regulatory functions the authority registers, licenses and supervises the operations of phis in ghana.
Challenges facing the national health insurance scheme. The national health insurance scheme is form of the national health insurance established by the government of ghana with the aim of providing equitable access and financial coverage for the basic health care services to ghanaian citizens. Ghana passed mandatory national health insurance nhi legislation act 650 in 2003 and commenced nationwide implementation in 2004. Evaluating the impact of the national health insurance. How to register for national health insurance scheme this is a complete guide on how to register for the national health insurance scheme. New earmarked funding sources for the nhisparticularly. Nhi is intended to ensure that the use of health services does not result in financial. The nhis is financed through a central national health insurance fund nhif which is sourced from the national health insurance levy nhil of. Is enrolment in the national health insurance scheme in ghana pro.
Who obstacles in the process of establishing sustainable. Approximately 150 million people suffer from financial catastrophe annually because of outofpocket expenditures oopes on health. Pdf ghanas national health insurance scheme nhis, established into law in 2003 and implemented in 2005 as a propoor method of. The national health insurance scheme was implemented in 2004 to improve financial access, especially for the poorest and most vulnerable groups 10,11. The national health insurance nhi is a financing system that will make sure that all citizens of south africa and legal longterm residents are provided with essential healthcare, regardless of their employment status and ability to make a direct monetary contribution to the nhi fund. National healthcare insurance programs differ both in how the contributions are collected, and in how the services are provided. The national health insurance nhi is a health financing system that is designed to pool funds to provide access to quality affordable personal health services for all south africans based on their. People enrolled and renewed their membership because of nhis benefits and health providers positive. The effects of ghanas national health insurance scheme on. The national health insurance scheme nhis took off in the year 2005 and is a corporate body established under act 35 of 1999 constitution by the federal government of nigeria to improve the health of all nigerians at an affordable cost through various prepayment systems. National health insurance into the national health insurance scheme monitor and ensure compliance with this act and any regulations, guidelines, policies, processes and manuals made under this act.
Ghanas national health insurance scheme nhis was created by the national health insurance act of august 2003, and is one of very few attempts by a subsaharan african country to implement a nationallevel, universal health insurance program. The ghana health service would like to acknowledge the support of ghana statistical services in the provision of healthrelated statistics to the general. The politicoeconomic challenges of ghanas national. Hence ghana implemented the national health insurance scheme nhis to help promote access to health care services for ghanaians. Original article in public health the national health. Downloadable documents national health insurance scheme. Ghana s national health insurance scheme nhis has achieved considerable success, but is beset by challenges that have become important election issues ahead of the december parliamentary and presidential polls. Ghana s national health insurance scheme nhis, established into law in 2003 and implemented in 2005 as a propoor method of health financing, has made great progress in enrolling members of. Nhis medicines list national health insurance scheme.
The national health insurance scheme nhis is a body corporate established under act 35 of 1999 constitution by the federal government of nigeria to improve the health of all nigerians at an. The effect of ghanas national health insurance scheme on health. Before joining the world bank, she was a researcher on health sector reform initiatives in china and the united states. The national health insurance scheme is a form of national health insurance established by the government of ghana. Nov, 2018 ghana, a lower middleincome country in ssa, implemented a national health insurance scheme nhis in 2004 to provide financial risk protection for all residents 17. Factors that influence enrolment and retention in ghana national. Moreover, poor quality care in nhisaccredited health facilities. Purpose as a social protection policy, ghanas national health insurance scheme nhis aims to improve access to healthcare, especially for the vulnerable. National health insurance into the national health insurance scheme monitor and ensure compliance with this act and any regulations, guidelines, policies, processes and manuals made under this act perform any other function conferred on it by this act or that are ancillary to the obj. Results ability of the nhis to continue its operations in ghana is. The national health insurance scheme nhis was established under act 650 of 2003 by the government of ghana, and technically requires all citizens to be enrolled in some form of health insurance. Although the national health insurance scheme nhis of ghana was designed to promote universal health coverage, oopes as a proportion of total health expenditures remains elevated at 26%, exceeding the whos recommendations of less than 1520%.
A law has been passed to provide the legal framework necessary to facilitate the establishment of the national health insurance scheme. National health insurance south african government. South africa is in the process of introducing an innovative system of healthcare financing with far reaching consequences on the health of south africans. The national health insurance scheme nhis is a body corporate established under act 35 of 1999 constitution by the. The national health insurance scheme nhis took off in the year 2005 and is a corporate body established under act 35 of 1999 constitution by the federal government of nigeria to improve the.
Ghanas national health insurance scheme nhis, established into law in 2003 and implemented in 2005 as a propoor method of health financing, has made great progress in enrolling members of. This guide also covers, how to use your nhis card, how to replace lost, damaged or stolen nhis card, rights and responsibilities of nhis membership. Jun 18, 2018 ghanas national health insurance scheme. The paper concludes with some suggested reforms to improve health financing in ghana.
The national health insurance scheme is a form of national health insurance established by the government of ghana, with a goal to provide equitable access and financial coverage for basic health. Although the national health insurance scheme nhis of ghana was. The aim of the health insurance scheme in ghana is to enable the government achieve its set health goal within the context. We use data from a household survey conducted in two rural districts, nkoranza and offinso, in 2007, two years after the initiation of the ghana national health insurance scheme. The politicoeconomic challenges of ghanas national health. The study investigates the effect of ghanas national health insurance scheme nhis on health care utilisation. Healthcare financing through social health insurance has become a very important tool in providing access to and utilization of health services in most developing countries such as ghana. An evaluation of the national health insurance scheme in ghana. The first section focuses on the history of health financing in ghana, followed by an examination of the challenges facing the challenges with the national health insurance scheme. Household perceptions and their implications for enrolment in. The national health insurance is a chance for south africans to join hands in a way that really counts. The politicoeconomic challenges of ghanas national health insurance scheme implementation adam fusheini1,2 abstract background. The national health insurance scheme nhis is a social intervention program introduced by government to provide financial access to quality health care for residents in ghana. The scheme provides equitable access and financial coverage for basic health care services to the ghanaian population.
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