Challenges to Reforming Health Financing Policy in Ghana

Financing health-care has gone through a chequered history in Ghana. Like other developing nations in modern times, the Government of Ghana has no choice but to establish a sustainable health-care financing policy for all Ghanaians. The aim of this book is to examine whether the introduction of a National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) will provide and deliver and improved health-care service in Ghana. The introduction of the NHIS is to help reduce the financial barriers which have denied ordinary people access to healthcare for decades. While the health system appears to be making progress in meeting the basic needs of the people of Ghana, the continuing exodus of trained health workers, lack of leadership, corruption and weak institutional capacity remains a major obstacle. There are also many persuasive reasons why the NHIS should be a success. Some of the laudable points are the philosophy of the NHIS, the popularity of the policy, the institutional components which are in place and the overall State commitment to the scheme.