I Pay Cash When I Go To The Hospital, ‘NHIS Is Not Working’ – Ghana’s Health Minister

Ghana's Minister of Health, Kweku Agyemang Manu says he pays physical cash whenever he visits the hospital despite being a National Health Insurance Scheme card holder.
 
He was emphatic that his health visits to the Ridge Hospital and the University of Ghana Medical Center (UGMC) have seen him pay cash.
 
"I pay when I go to Ridge Hospital. I pay when I go to UGMC. I don’t even present my insurance card…," he told a meeting of Ghana Health Service Senior Managers on Tuesday, April 18, 2023,
 
The health minister also not happy with some service providers under Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), whom he accuses of extortion.
 
“There are complaints that are coming about how those who are subscribed to health insurance are treated in almost all our facilities. So why shouldn’t we use the harsh word… extorting from the poor patients.” He noted
 
Adding that, “From the end-user point of view, it looks like the health insurance is not working. I am a patient and I know what it is,” he said.