National Health Scheme For Foreigners To Begin In July

• The government of Ghana has launched a national health scheme for foreigners set to begin on July 1
• The insurance scheme will cover non-residents who visit the country for less than six months within a 12-mont period
• The Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, noted that its implementation is in line with the operationalisation of the National Health Insurance Act, 2012 (Act 852)

The Ministry of Health has announced that its planned health insurance scheme for foreigners is set to begin on July 1, 2024.

The insurance policy would cover foreigners who visit the country for a short period.

The policy, dubbed the “National Non-Resident Visitors Health Insurance,” was developed by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and other partners and is specifically for non-residents visiting the country for less than six months in any 12-month period.

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The Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, speaking during the policy's launch, stated that its introduction was in line with the operationalisation of the National Health Insurance Act, 2012 (Act 852).

He explained that the Act mandated the government to provide quality and accessible health care to both residents and non-residents in the country under a form of national health insurance to ensure equitable health services.

Agyemang-Manu said the policy’s implementation would establish a National Non-Resident Visitors Health Insurance Scheme (NNRVHIS) and an adjoining digital platform enabling non-resident visitors to apply remotely for health insurance coverage before coming to Ghana.

The policy has been subdivided into six tiers based on the duration of one's stay in the country.

The NNRVHIS only covers foreigners with visas and those requiring visas on arrival.

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However, plans are still underway for ECOWAS members to be included in the scheme.

NHIA CEO says scheme would be beneficial for Ghana

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr Da-Costa Aboagye, says it is about time Ghana extended its universal health coverage to non-Ghanaians.

Speaking on Citi TV, Dr Aboagye said enrolling foreign nationals in the scheme would benefit the country.

He said the programme could be made mandatory for all foreign nationals visiting the country to ensure that the foreigner would be insured during an emergency.

He said it would also save the government the burden of covering some of these foreigners' health expenses when they come to Ghana.

Dr Aboagye revealed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the foreigners who had trooped into Ghana were not insured, leaving the burden of their health expenses on the government of Ghana.

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He said that had such a policy been in place, the insurance policy would have handled such expenses.

NHIS to pay more to hospitals

YEN.com.gh reported that the National Health Insurance has announced that it will pay hospitals more for medicines.

This follows a 30% increase in tariffs that came into effect on July 1, 2022, according to a statement from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The NHIS says the upward review is part of plans to expand the coverage of health services to all Ghanaians.

Source: YEN.com.gh