Ghanaians face serious challenges accessing affordable healthcare as the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) system experiences a major breakdown.
For nearly two weeks, the national digital platform that supports NHIS verification has been offline. This leaves several hospitals with no choice but to temporarily return to the old cash and carry method.
At the Gbawe SDA Hospital in the Weija-Gbawe Municipality, patients who arrived for care were informed that the NHIS platform was unavailable, making their insurance cards temporarily invalid. Those affected described the situation as frustrating and financially draining. Most especially for households that rely on NHIS for basic medical care.
Patients Forced to Pay Out-of-Pocket
The technical failure has caused a sharp rise in medical expenses across facilities. For example, consultation fees that normally cost around GH₵18 under NHIS have reportedly increased to GH₵54 at some hospitals, nearly three times higher.
Laboratory tests and essential drugs are also being charged at full price, creating a heavy financial burden for many patients.
One man, who brought his elderly mother for routine care, explained:
“I would have paid less than GH₵30 for consultation, but I paid GH₵54. I’ve spent over GH₵200 today. If NHIS were active, I would have paid far less.”
Another woman, recently discharged from admission, shared a similar experience, saying she spent GH₵1,500 instead of the GH₵1,000 she would normally pay with active insurance coverage.
She urged authorities to act quickly, adding, “Not everyone can afford healthcare without insurance. It’s becoming a big challenge.”
NHIA Reacts
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Victor Asare Bampoe, has acknowledged the ongoing crisis.
He confirmed that some hospitals are either turning away insured patients or charging them directly. This is because they can’t check card validity through the national system.
According to Dr. Bampoe, the electronic health records and management platform that runs NHIS operations is managed by a separate technical partner, and discussions are underway to restore full service.
He assured the public that the NHIA is considering short term support measures to prevent further out of pocket payments and plans to collaborate with the Ministry of Health to stabilize the system as soon as possible.
The Bigger Picture
The prolonged downtime highlights deeper concerns about the reliability of Ghana’s healthcare digital infrastructure. If not resolved swiftly, the situation could undo years of progress made since the NHIS was introduced to eliminate cash payments and expand access to healthcare for millions of citizens.
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