Why Travelers to Ghana Need Health Insurance?

Currently, Ghana does not require travelers into the country to obtain travel medical insurance. This is about to change. The Ministry of Health (MoH), the Ghana Health Services (GHS) and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) are jointly considering a proposal for a mandatory travel medical insurance for non-residents during their stay in Ghana. Even before it passes the consideration stage, the proposal is generating a huge debate. One may ask, why do countries and for that matter, Ghana require travel medical insurance when traveling into the country?

The Phenomenon
Some countries require foreign visitors or non-resident travelers to show proof of travel medical insurance for many reasons. The reasons may include unstable diplomatic relations or visa requirements. A clear example is a mandatory purchase of travel medical insurance when applying for a visa to enter any of the 27 Schengen Area countries. Any such travel, medical insurance policy must cover you for medical and repatriation expenses up to at least 30,000 Euros. It must cover you for travel to all Schengen states, not just the ones you are visiting, and must be valid for the whole of your trip.

The stipulated rules by the European Parliament in Regulation (EC) No. 810/2009, article 15, subsection 1 states that, Applicants for a uniform visa for one or two entries shall prove that they are in possession of adequate and valid travel medical insurance to cover any expenses which might arise in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention and/or emergency hospital treatment or death, during their stay(s) on the territory of the Member States.

Although travel insurance plans are strongly advised by all governments to safeguard one’s trip, some countries have flexible entry requirement(s) for tourists and travelers on buying travel medical insurance. For example, travel medical insurance is not a compulsory requirement for visiting the USA and in life-threatening medical situations, any traveler may call 9-1-1 or visit the nearest emergency room. In such emergency situations, healthcare providers are required by law to stabilize patients regardless of their insurance status. Currently, Ghana belongs to the category of countries that have no mandatory visa or entry requirements for travel medical insurance policies like the USA, but it is about to change.

Why the Change?
The mandatory health insurance policy for non-Ghanaian residents’ policy has been launched by the Ministry of Health (MoH) but no implementation decision has been taken. Since the Ministry of Health is responsible for health insurance policies and the National Health Insurance Authority for implementation, when the policy is eventually approved by the cabinet, the NHIA will then take over. It is worthy to note that it has not yet been discussed or approved by the Cabinet. The question remains, why the proposal now?

The proposal is all about ensuring that foreign nationals travelling visiting the country have access to healthcare during their stay in Ghana. In February 2024, the Ministry of Health led by the former minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu launched a National Non-Resident Visitors Health Insurance Scheme (NNRVHIS). It aims to promote, provide, and maintain good healthcare for all non-resident visitors during their stay for a period less than six months in any period of 12 months.

Explaining reasons for such a policy proposal, Mr. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, said that Ghana is currently implementing a Universal Health Coverage Roadmap (2020-2030). The sole aim is to enable all people in Ghana at any point in time including non-resident visitors to have timely access to high-quality health services irrespective of their ability to pay and/or of their location. The former minister noted that MoH’s vision of “A healthy population for national development” is aligned with the vision of the policy.

Another reason for this NNRVHIS is that the National Health Insurance Act, 2012 (Act 852) mandates the National Health Insurance Authority to provide health insurance coverage to non-resident visitors in Ghana. This is because they equally face all healthcare problems found in the general population such as communicable and non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, mental health disorders and injuries. For this reason, it is non-negotiable to ensure access to good healthcare devoid of financial risk to the non-resident visitors as well.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative, Professor Francis Kasolo also explained another reason for NNRVHIS. In his remarks at the launch, he said implementation of NNRVHIS will ensure that no one was left behind in the delivery of health care, regardless of any individual’s residence status. He further appealed to all stakeholders needed to make NNRVHIS successful to collaborate to overcome the barriers the non-resident population face in accessing care, because health care is a fundamental human right.

Implementation of NNRVHIS would go a long way to complement the government’s efforts to turn Ghana into a hub for medical tourism in the West African Sub-region.

My Opinion
Inasmuch as the authorities are working to operationalize NNRVHIS to overcome the barriers the non-resident population face in accessing care whilst in Ghana, let travelers to Ghana have a variety travel medical insurance policy options to choose from. The Ghana Embassies and consulates may require foreign visitors or non-resident travelers to show proof of travel medical insurance as a visa requirement. They would have the option to enroll onto NNRVHIS or buy their preferred insurance from insurance companies worldwide.

It remains questionable how the Ministry of Health led by the former minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu launched the National Non-Resident Visitors Health Insurance Scheme (NNRVHIS) without any implementation decision taken. This extended period after the launch; the implementation has not yet been discussed or approved by the cabinet. Ghanaians as well as non-resident visitors deserve to know about the policy direction of the government on the National Non-Resident Visitors Health Insurance Scheme (NNRVHIS).

Eben Johnson – Finland.
(Letters Without Signatures)