NHIS System Breakdown Forces Hospitals to Revert to Cash and Carry

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has experienced a nationwide technical breakdown, forcing many hospitals across Ghana to temporarily return to the “Cash and Carry” payment system.

The malfunction, which has persisted for more than a week, has disrupted access to healthcare for thousands of NHIS subscribers, as health facilities are unable to verify patient details on the digital platform.

At the Gbawe SDA Hospital in the Weija-Gbawe Municipality, patients were informed that the NHIS system was inaccessible, making their insurance cards invalid for use. As a result, patients had to pay for services that are usually covered by the scheme.

A routine consultation that would have cost an insured patient GH₵18 under NHIS tariffs now costs GH₵54. Laboratory tests such as malaria and Full Blood Count (FBC) are also being paid for in full by patients.

A 75-year-old woman receiving care at the facility reportedly spent over GH₵200, while another patient said she paid about GH₵1,500 for her treatment, an amount she believes would have been less than GH₵1,000 if the NHIS system had been functional.

Chief Executive of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Victor Asare Bampoe, has confirmed the disruption and its impact on healthcare facilities nationwide.

He described the situation as unacceptable and assured the public that efforts were underway to restore the system.

“We want our members to have a cash-free experience as much as possible, regardless of the challenge,” Dr. Bampoe said during a visit to the Ho Teaching Hospital on October 8.

The NHIA explained that the electronic health records and hospital management system that supports the NHIS operations is owned and managed by a separate entity.

Dr. Bampoe said the Authority is considering short- and medium-term measures, including deploying NHIA staff to affected facilities to support operations and minimize out-of-pocket payments.

The Authority is also working with the Ministry of Health to fully restore the digital platform and resume normal NHIS services nationwide.

Currently, over 16 million active NHIS members are affected by the ongoing system failure.