Beginning on July 1, 2024, the Ministry of Health will introduce a national health insurance program for international visitors to Ghana for brief stays.
The policy will first target foreign visitors who are not residents and who stay in the nation for less than six months in a calendar year.
The program, called the “National Non-resident Visitors Health Insurance,” was created in coordination with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and other partners.
Key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health (MOH), NHIA, and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), participated in a media engagement prior to its implementation.
This policy is in compliance with the National Health Insurance Act, 2012 (Act 852), which requires that, in order to provide fair access to healthcare services, both Ghanaian citizens and non-residents must receive high-quality, easily accessible healthcare through a national health insurance program.
Six stages of the policy are dependent on how long a person stays in the nation. It is directed at foreign nationals holding valid visas, and arrangements are made for individuals who must obtain a visa upon arrival in order to be covered by the program.
ECOWAS members are currently not included in the system, while plans are in place to include them in the future.
The Ministry of Health, under the leadership of Health Minister Dr. Agyeman Manu, launched the policy in February 2024.
He indicated:
“The scheme will be the main vehicle for the delivery of robust healthcare services to non-residents who will be travelling to Ghana.”
“Taking into consideration the peculiar characteristics and nature of the NNRVHIS, a special purpose arrangement may be required to minimise the potential for risks,” he said.
“In line with this, a National Non-Resident Visitors Health Insurance Technology Platform (NNRVHITP) will be established to enable non-resident visitors to remotely log into a digital platform and apply accordingly in the comfort of their respective countries without challenges, thereby improving user experience.”
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