Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme recognized as a model for universal health coverage in sub-Saharan Africa

Established in 2003 and strengthened in 2012, the NHIS aims to provide financial risk protection and equitable access to quality healthcare for all residents. According to an August 18, 2026, statement from the NHIA Corporate Affairs Directorate, Abdul Karim Naatogmah, the scheme covers approximately 95 percent of disease conditions in Ghana. Its benefit package has expanded to include mental health treatment, dialysis, family planning, and childhood cancers.

This expansion initially strained the scheme's finances, leading to deficits and delayed claim payments. A significant development occurred in April 2025, when Parliament amended the Earmarked Funds Capping and Realignment Act to exempt the National Health Insurance Levy NHIL from capping. Previously, the Earmarked Funds Capping and Realignment Act of 2017 capped statutory earmarked funds at 25 percent of tax revenue, later reduced to 17.5 percent in 2022.