Publication: Universal Health Coverage for Inclusive and Sustainable Development : Country Summary Report for Ghana
Date
2014-09
ISSN
Published
2014-09
Author(s)
Abstract
Ghana is a country in West Africa with a
population of about 25 million. The country is a stable
democracy and achieved lower middle-income status in 2011
with a per capita gross national income (GNI) of $1,410. The
prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in Ghana is among
the lowest in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, and this too
makes its status related to life expectancy relatively
better. The government made a commitment to universal health
coverage when it passed the national health insurance scheme
(NHIS) law, act 650, at the end of 2003. The law was revised
in 2012 (act 852) to bring the district insurance schemes
into a single pooled fund, thus eliminating fragmentation.
Act 650 established the national health insurance authority
(NHIA) to implement the NHIS and mandates that all residents
of Ghana enroll in one of the accredited insurance schemes.
The law does not specify consequences for failing to enroll,
nor are residents automatically enrolled, so until now the
NHIS has been operating as a de facto voluntary scheme. With
the 2003 NHIS law, the health financing system in Ghana is
now a combination of supply-side subsidies for public and
faith-based providers directly through the government
budget, entitlement-based insurance coverage financed
through a combination of earmarked taxes and individual-paid
premiums, and direct out-of-pocket payments. The report is
divided into two parts: part one gives universal coverage -
status and sequencing; and part two present lessons to be shared.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Otoo, Nathaniel; Awittor, Evelyn; Marquez, Patricio; Saleh, Karima. 2014. Universal Health Coverage for Inclusive and Sustainable Development : Country Summary Report for Ghana. © World Bank Group, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20730 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”