The state of health insurance in Ghana

While the life insurance halls are almost invariably quiet, with fewer people wanting to buy, the same cannot be said about health insurance. Majority of the people who visit life companies are usually clients coming for their claims cheques and occasionally, some disgruntled ones coming to seek one clarification or another. 

Driving home from a programme recently, I was held up in traffic along the way. At a point, I noticed a long queue in a fashionable ‘S’ shape. As I drew closer, I noticed that over 100 people had queued in front of a National Health Insurance Scheme access point to either register for or renew their cards. My curiosity thereon encouraged me to share some insight on the workings of the NHIS.

What is health insurance?

Health insurance is a type of insurance coverage that covers the cost of an insured individual's medical and other health care expenses. Typically, the health insurer makes payments directly to the medical service provider