NHIS Ghana: Registration, Renewal, Charges And More

What is NHIS?

NHIS stands for National Health Insurance Scheme and it is a social intervention implemented by the government of Ghana to cater to the health of everyone legally staying in Ghana.

This scheme is under the National Health Insurance Authority of Ghana. Basically, subscribers to this scheme enjoy free primary health access in Ghana.

How much does NHIS cost?

To register for the National Health Insurance Scheme there are basically two main costs involved; 

• Card processing fee
• Premium fee

Almost everyone is expected to pay for the card processing fee but some people are exempted from paying the premium fee.

This means that the amount you pay for the national health insurance scheme will depend on whether you are part of those exempted from paying the premium fee or not. Hence those exempted will pay way less than those who are not.

Who are those exempted from the premium fee?

According to the National Health Insurance Authority, the following category of people are exempted from paying the premium fee;

• SSNIT contributors (Both formally employed or self-employed)
• People below 18 years
• Pregnant women
• People considered by the social welfare ministry as indigents (needy people)
• Persons with mental disabilities
• Pensioners who were SSNIT contributors
• Elderly people beyond 70 years old

What does NHIS cover in Ghana?

According to the National Health Insurance policy of Ghana, all members of the scheme should be able to access the following services for free of charge;

• Outpatient services (Consultation, General or Specialist review)
• Inpatient services (Both general and specialist in-patient care)
• Maternity care (Antenatal care, deliveries, cesarean sections)
• Eye care (refraction, visual fields, A-scan, keratometry)
• Emergencies (all medical and surgical emergencies, obstetrics and gynecological emergencies, Road traffic accidents)
• Oral health (dental care, drainage, tooth extraction, fillings)

This means that if you are duly registered under the NHIS with a validity status then you can benefit from any of the above-listed services free of charge. You can check out the NHIS official website for the details of the services covered by insurance.

What healthcare services are not covered by NHIS?

Even though the NHIS covers most of the healthcare services in government health centers and hospitals, there are a few services that the NHIS policy does not cover. 

This means that for any of the services on the list below, you would have to pay for it even if you have an active NHIS card.

These excluded services include:

• Rehabilitation services (except for physiotherapy)
• Prosthesis and appliances (like hearing aids, dentures, optical aids, and orthopedic aids)
• Cosmetic surgeries and aesthetic surgeries
• Dialysis in chronic kidney diseases
• Cancer treatment (except breast and cervical cancer)
• Organ transplantation
• Medical and laboratory investigations for the purposes of employment, visa applications, driving license, or school admissions.
• Mortuary services
• Some laboratory investigations (Echocardiography, Angiography)

How do I register for NHIS using my phone?

As it stands now, it is not possible to directly register for a new membership card if you don’t already have one by just using your phone.

If you haven’t ever registered with the NHIS and you want to, you would have to go to any of their district offices. There are some health facilities that have representatives from NHIA to be registering new members. Thus you can go to any of such health facilities to register for your card.

In the near future, every individual will be able to register right from their phone. That is currently under development and once the NHIS is officially linked to your Ghana Card, this will be made available.

This means that in the near future you can access healthcare with just your Ghana card if you are a member of the NHIS just as you would have done with your NHIS membership card.

How do I renew my NHIS membership?

To renew your membership with the NHIS using your phone, simply follow the instructions given below;

• Dial *929# on any mobile phone network in Ghana (MTN, Vodafone, Airtel-Tigo, Glo)
• From the various options that come, enter 2 to select Renew Membership
• Enter 1 to choose NHIS card
• Enter your NHIS membership number and press send
• Depending on the network you are using, follow all the instructions that will be presented to you to make payment using your digital wallet (MTN mobile money, Tigo cash, Vodafone cash)

How soon can I use my NHIS card after renewing it?

It is recommended that you should renew your card about a month close to its expiry. If you renew your card on time (before or within a month to expiry), you will be able to use it to access healthcare instantly.

However, if your card expires for more than one month, you are classified as a defaulter and you will not be able to access healthcare with it for a period of one to three months.

How much does it cost to renew my NHIS membership?

The amount that you pay for renewing your NHIS will also depend on the category you fall in. That is to say, whether you are exempted from paying the premium fee or not. Those who are not exempted from paying the premium will obviously pay more than those who are.

Currently, the premium set by the NHIA is a minimum of GH₵7.00 and a maximum of GH₵42.00, whiles the card processing fee is set at GH₵6.00

The following prices have been set as general prices for the renewal even though they may vary at times.

The category you belong to	Price of renewal
People below 18 years	GH₵ 6.00
People above 70 years	GH₵ 6.00
Active SSNIT contributors	GH₵ 6.00
All other adults (18 – 69 years)	GH₵ 28.00

How can I check the validity of my NHIS card?

To check the validity of your NHIS card, you have to follow the following instructions using any mobile phone at all.

• Dial *929#
• Enter 1 to choose the first option “Check Policy Validity”
• Enter 1 to choose NHIS card as the card type
• Enter your NHIS membership number and press send
• You will receive an instant reply with your card’s validity status (ACTIVE OR INACTIVE)

NB: If your card’s status is inactive then it means that it has expired and hence you can use it to access healthcare. An active status means that you are eligible to use your card to access healthcare. For the inactive one, you have to renew your card first.

Which medicines or drugs are covered by the NHIS?

When you go to the hospital or community pharmacies accredited by the National Health Insurance Scheme, it is not all medications that are covered under insurance. 

There is a whole list detailing all the medicines that the scheme caters for. This means that you are likely not to pay anything if all the medications that were prescribed for you are on this list.

To check if your medications are covered by the National Health Insurance, click the link below and use the search bar to locate it or otherwise.  

List available here: http://www.nhis.gov.gh/medlist.aspx 

Why did I pay for the medicine even though it is available on the NHIS list?

This has been the concern of several people who are members of the scheme. Sometimes even though the medicine(s) are available on the list of medicines covered by insurance, you are still asked to pay for it. 

The popular reason that has been assigned to this occurrence is the fact that the NHIA has stated its own prices for the various medicines that are on the list. 

Hence if any facility gets stocks of a particular medicine and the cost price and price mark-up they are supposed to use to sell the medicine for is more than what the NHIA is willing to pay, then they refuse to give that medicine out under insurance.

Some other institutions will just charge clients for the extra amount after deducting the price offered by the NHIA. This means that clients of the NHIS get to pay way less for such products as compared to people who are not subscribed to the NHIS.