- Ghana card now valid for healthcare access.
- Consolidating NHIS and Ghana cards saves costs.
- No more illegal co-payments by healthcare providers.
- Mandatory health scheme for foreigners introduced.
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has announced that the Ghana card can now be used to access healthcare services at any accredited health center in the country. This move is part of the government’s digitalization agenda, aimed at consolidating the NHIS card and Ghana card into a single card, saving the nation the cost of printing separate cards.
According to Dr. Aboagye Dacosta, Chief Executive of the NHIA, the Ghana card will be integrated with NHIS member details, allowing users to access healthcare services with a single card. This merge will eliminate the need for separate NHIS cards, reducing costs and streamlining the process.
Dr. Dacosta made this announcement during a courtesy call on the Okuapenhene, Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III, at Akropong, after commissioning an ultra-modern NHIS office complex at Lower Manya Krobo Municipality in the Eastern Region.
The NHIA is also introducing a mandatory health scheme for non-Ghanaians (foreigners) to access health insurance while in Ghana. Additionally, the authority has improved claims payments, paying an average of GHS 180 million monthly as claims reimbursement.
Dr. Dacosta warned accredited healthcare providers against charging illegal fees (co-payments), which violate Act 852 and the contractual agreement between the NHIA and credentialed health providers. He emphasized that the NHIA pays for services and medicines, and providers must not charge members extra fees.
The practice of co-payments has led to a decline in membership enrollment and renewals in recent years, despite interventions like mobile renewals and linkages between the NHIS card and Ghana card. The NHIA is reviewing the medicine list and tariff to reflect economic and epidemiological trends, and a new tariff and medicine list will be released soon.
NHIA’s initiatives aim to enhance the national health insurance scheme, making healthcare more accessible and affordable for Ghanaians.
