President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has revealed that mental healthcare will now be absorbed under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana by next year.
Speaking at a meeting with physicians and surgeons in Accra, the president highlighted that mental health should be a concern for everyone and emphasized the importance of having specialists serving in all hospitals across the country to achieve the target of universal health coverage.
According to President Akufo-Addo, the availability of specialists is key as Ghana works towards achieving its universal health coverage targets, which he believes can be accomplished with the help of professional health bodies collaborating with one another.
The Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Ghana Medical and Dental Council, the Ghana Health Service, and the Ministry of Health must work together to achieve the universal health coverage target, he added.
The announcement came as a welcome relief for Ghanaians who have been advocating for the inclusion of mental healthcare under the NHIS.
The move to include it is expected to give more Ghanaians access to quality mental healthcare, as mental health has become an increasingly important issue due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on individuals’ mental health.
As the country works towards achieving universal health coverage, the decision to include mental healthcare under the NHIS is a commendable step towards building a stronger healthcare system in Ghana.
By Vincent Kubi