(171 words) Ghana’s National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is transforming healthcare delivery through innovative digital solutions to address Africa's challenges of low insurance coverage, inefficiencies, and poor-quality care. By leveraging ICTs, NHIA now insures 17 million Ghanaians—60% of the population—through streamlined processes that enhance accessibility, efficiency, and equity.
The MyNHIS app enables citizens to enroll, renew, and pay fees via smartphones and basic feature phones, saving time and reducing travel costs. Previously, obtaining an insurance card required days of travel, financial burdens, and work interruptions. Simultaneously, the CLAIM-IT app has digitized claims processing across over 2,000 healthcare facilities, automating reimbursements, reducing processing errors, and cutting administrative costs by 20–30%. These innovations ensure faster payments, rebuilding trust among patients, providers, and payers.
NHIA’s Data Analytics Unit consolidates data from these tools into a centralized dashboard, driving data-informed policy reforms. Recent milestones include expanding benefit packages to cover Family Planning and childhood cancer treatments. NHIA’s ongoing efforts focus on implementing value-based care and strategic purchasing to optimize healthcare efficiency and quality further.

https://www.nhis.gov.gh/

• Ghana

• Youth
• Older persons
• Women
• People with disabilities
• The unemployed
• The poor
• Remote and rural communities
• Adolescent
• Adult
• Children between 5 and 12
• Children under 5
• Elderly
• New born
• Pregnant women

Regionally, see sustainability below.

The NHIA's approach ensures long-term sustainability by leveraging innovative strategies in funding, digitalization, and replicable frameworks adaptable to other contexts.
1. Scalability
NHIA’s holistic 5D strategy—Digitalization, Data, Decentralization, Demand-Driven approaches, and Development of Human Capital—integrates technology at every stage of healthcare delivery. From biometric identification and mobile enrollment via MyNHIS to automated claims processing through CLAIM-IT, this framework optimizes efficiency, reduces costs, and fosters stakeholder trust. The 5D strategy is adaptable and scalable to other regions within Ghana and globally, offering a replicable model for healthcare modernization in low-income contexts.
2. Financial Sustainability
NHIA relies on a robust funding mechanism combining a VAT levy and pension contributions, with 95% of funding sourced domestically, minimizing dependency on external financing.
3. Operational Sustainability
The digital infrastructure built through MyNHIS and CLAIM-IT simplifies processes, reduces manual errors, and enhances the speed and reliability of services. NHIA’s Data Analytics Unit ensures continuous monitoring and evidence-based policy decisions, supporting operational efficiency and adaptability.
4. Regional and International Impact
NHIA’s model sets a benchmark for Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, showcasing how domestic funding, ICT solutions, and data-driven strategies can advance Universal Health Coverage (UHC). This replicable framework offers a blueprint for nations facing similar healthcare challenges to build efficient, inclusive, and sustainable healthcare systems.

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) of Ghana is building a people-centered, inclusive, and development-oriented information society for healthcare. Its digital tools, such as MyNHIS and CLAIM-IT, empower communities by improving access to information, enhancing healthcare services, and promoting equity. Mobile self-renewal via feature phones and integration with the national ID system ensure accessibility for diverse demographics, including marginalized populations. By bridging the digital divide and enabling remote insurance registration and claims processing, NHIA ensures equitable access for underserved rural areas. The Data Analytics Unit uses ICT-driven insights to inform policy decisions, such as expanding benefits to include family planning and childhood cancer treatments. These reforms empower women, promote equity, and ensure the system responds to societal needs. NHIA fosters multi-stakeholder collaboration, aligning with WSIS values, and contributes to Ghana’s digital economy by enhancing efficiency, creating jobs, and optimizing resources.