Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, Minister of Health, says a plan to introduce mandatory health insurance for non-Ghanaian resident visitors is a proposal from the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and “not a government policy”.
A statement issued Monday, said the policy “has not been discussed or approved by Cabinet” and that the public should disregard information that the policy had been finalized and was ready for implementation.
“While the proposal aims to ensure that foreign nationals have access to healthcare during their stay in Ghana, it is important to note that it has not yet been discussed or approved by Cabinet.
“We assure the public that any policy and its implementation shall be thoroughly scrutinized and taken through all necessary protocols to establish its benefits for the people of Ghana before being settled on,” the Ministry said.
Reports last weekend indicated that the Health Ministry and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) were working towards the rolling out of a Visitor Health Insurance Scheme (VHIS), effective July 1, 2024.
It will require non-residents on a visit to Ghana to sign onto a health insurance scheme which will cover them during the period of stay in the country.
The Daily Searchlight would suggest that any thought of introducing this policy should be shelved to allow for the deepest level of consideration.
We believe that insurance is something that individuals assume by choice, and not as a matter of force of force and coercion.
We also believe that Ghana is a nation that is highly dependent on its citizens who live outside the jurisdiction and often come home. These citizens may have or not have insurance from where they reside. We however believe that forcing them to adopt insurance policies, when they may already be covered by insurance, is not the best.
Again, Ghana receives thousands of international visitors every year. These are individuals who, once again, may be covered or not covered by insurance. We believe that a policy that coerces them to acquire insurance in Ghana, without taking into consideration their level of coverage from their places of domicile, is not the best.
As a nation that is constantly hunting for investment and investors, we believe that we should align our public policies, and forcing visitors to buy insurance, certainly does not align with our policy to create an investor-friendly environment.
