Policies on healthcare in Ghana have faced numerous challenges. Most of these challenges are directly or indirectly associated with the cost involved in the provision of healthcare services. Funding needed to maintain implemented health care policies, making it affordable to all Ghanaians, regardless of economic or social status, rendering such policies fleeting at their best.
An overview of the history of post-independence policies implemented to finance healthcare in the country strengthen the claim. The Nkrumah led post-independence Ghana saw the severing of all health care charges: ensuring that every Ghanaian received free health care funded by taxes and donations. This system was demanding and drained the economy, and was replaced by the ‘cash and carry’ system implemented in the mid-80s. Currently under operation is the National Health Insurance Scheme established by Act 650 in 2003, funded largely by 2.5% VAT levy on selected goods and services, 2.5% of workers Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contribution- the same income tax regimes used in financing other equally important sectors like education.
This competition means that, at a point or the other, one sector may be disadvantaged – eventually affecting the quality of healthcare in Ghana. It is therefore clear that a sustainable funding is required to sustain healthcare policies in country.
A recent study by Mr. Isaac Adisah-Atta from the Department of Political Studies, University of Saskatchewan in Canada used the Afrobarometer 2014/2015 to probe into healthcare financing in Ghana. Primarily, the study measured the willingness of Ghanaians to pay higher taxes and service charges to receive better health care. Considering the poor healthcare services in many health centers, it was expected that many Ghanaians, regardless of financial constraints, would opt for paying more taxes to receive better health care.
The study however reported that a very low proportion of the participants (30%) were willing to pay higher taxes to receive better health care. To many, reasons not far from; financial constraints and perhaps, negligence of the healthcare sector by the population were likely to be the justification for the outcome.
Overwhelmingly, however, none of the above made it to the top. The reasons why most of the participants feel reluctant to pay higher taxes for better health care were largely by trustworthiness and performance of government. It wasn’t because the participants did not care about their health or wouldn’t want to receive better health care but corruption among government officials and tax officials influenced their decision – willingness of Ghanaians to pay higher taxes.
In an interview with themedcircles.com, the principal investigator, Isaac Adisah-Atta indicated that policy makers have to look at taxes again which is a promising way to finance quality healthcare in Ghana as implemented by other countries; UK, Norway, Canada and others.
“Reducing corruption and greed will increase the willingness of Ghanaians to pay higher taxes, with all seriousness let’s dealt with them, so we can genuinely raise revenue by increasing cooperate taxes and build a better and sustainable healthcare in Ghana, he added.
“The research has been able to give some information that I thought otherwise,” he said, “for instance, it is a view that people will not want to pay more tax because of the job or economic status but no, what matters first is where their money is going to”, he lamented.
This is a revealing study and the findings when implemented will provide sustainable funding to improve the healthcare services in Ghana, especially the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which has not significantly leverage healthcare cost for Ghanaians.
