Scientific Publication

Something old or something new? Social health insurance in Ghana

author(s) Witter, S.. - Garshong, B.
from UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
permalink open
themes
regions
  • Western Africa
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Africa
  • World
citation

BMC International Health and Human Rights (2009) 9: 20 (doi: 10.1186/1472-698X-9-20)

Publications and datasets provided via GARDIAN

Abstract

There is considerable interest at present in exploring the potential of social health insurance to increase access to and affordability of health care in Africa. A number of countries are currently experimenting with different approaches. Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was passed into law in 2003 but fully implemented from late 2005. It has already reached impressive coverage levels. This article aims to provide a preliminary assessment of the NHIS to date. This can inform the development of the NHIS itself but also other innovations in the region. It is concluded that some trade-offs will be necessary between the existing wide benefits package of the NHIS and the laudable desire to reach universal coverage. The overall resource envelope for health is likely to be stable rather than increasing over the medium-term. In the longer term, the investment costs in the NHIS will only be justified if it is able to increase the cost-effectiveness of purchasing and the responsiveness of the system as a whole

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