Ghana Health Insurance

Feeling comfortable in the knowledge that if something was to happen to a family member their medical costs will be taken care of, is important to us all. Our expert consultants can advise on the most suitable level of coverage for families, individuals, groups, travelers, and teachers expatriate health insurance.

Expatriate Health Insurance Ghana

Pacific Prime is an expatriate insurance broker specialising in providing overseas medical insurance for Ghana nationals living, working or holidaying abroad. If you are a non Ghana national and moving to Ghana we can also provide plans that meet your specific requirements.

Professional Service you can trust

Pacific Prime Insurance will be with you for the duration of your policy. We offer additional customer services that include claims advice, emergency contact numbers and medical advice lines. We also maintain a comprehensive list of Ghana hospitals/doctors. Most of our clients are expatriates so we maintain a list of Embassies in Ghana.

As a leading broker of medical insurance in Ghana we keep up on the latest insurance trends and Ghana Insurance News.

We can offer expatriates in Ghana dedicated international health insurance plans that will provide comprehensive coverage in the East and around the world. Plans that we can offer will usually have a number of benefits that a policyholder is able to tailor to suit their specific requirements. With coverage options including out-patient, dental, maternity, and emergency evacuation, you will be assured of receiving the highest levels of quality treatment anywhere in the world.

Ghana Medical Insurance

The West African nation of Ghana (meaning “Warrior King”) achieved independence from Britain in 1957, when the territory was formerly made up of Gold Coast and British Togoland. It was the first sub-Saharan African nation to achieve independence from a colonial power. Rich in natural resources such as gold, cocoa, oil, timber, diamonds and bauxite, the country is relatively better off than most in the region. Tourism is becoming increasingly popular, though mostly by overseas Ghanians. Its proximity to the equator gives it a warm climate year-round, with distinct tropical wet and dry seasons.

English is the official language of Ghana, but demographically, the country is made up of hundreds of ethnicities, and most citizens of Ghana are proficient in at least one indigenous language in addition to English. Despite this broad ethnic diversity, Ghana has not been plagued by civil wars like many other post-colonial African nations. Its GDP per capita of USD1,600 qualifies it as a relatively prosperous middle income country.

In the past two decades, great improvements have been made in Ghanian access to improved drinking water sources, which now reaches about 90 percent of the population, although only 75 percent of rural inhabitants. There has been a persistent lack of access to improved sanitation facilities which are available to less than 20 percent of the populace, although this figure has been slowly increasing.

Ghana’s average life expectancy is 56 years for males and 58 for females, fairly low given its level of wealth. Health care expenditure is approximately USD100 per capita annually, or about 6.2 percent of GDP, both below the regional average. Its HIV infection rate of 19 per 10,000 population is low for west Africa, but still more than twice the global average. And tuberculosis infection rate of 400 per 100,000 population is also more than two times the global rate, but below the regional norm. There are only 1.1 doctors and 9.8 nurses and midwives for every 10,000 inhabitants of Ghana, both of these are below even the low regional average, and represent a real strain on the delivery of health care. Wide inequities exist in the delivery of health care in Ghana, as only 24 percent of births from the lowest income quintile are attended by a skilled health professional, leading to much higher infant mortality rates.

Government spending makes up about half of total health expenditure in Ghana, with about one third of government spending in the form of a recently introduced social security system. Private health expenditure makes up most of the remainder, with most of this coming from out of pocket spending; private health insurance makes up only about 6 percent of total private health care spending. External funding from NGOs and other sources makes up about 10 percent of total health care expenditure.

Included in this external funding is the World Health Organisation’s “Reaching Every District” (RED) program, designed to bring immunization services to remote rural poor areas. Approximately 2 of every 5 Ghanaians live more than 15 kilometers from a health care facility, so access is limited, especially due to poor transportation infrastructure. The RED program was able to raise immunization rates by up to 68 percent in some districts, although more remote areas still remain largely underserved by the health care system; some districts actually saw reduced immunization rates, mostly due to lack of local nurses, midwives, or social network partners such as religious groups or other community organizations. Related programs designed to deliver health care to remote regions have seen similar results.

Before visiting Ghana, a visit to a physician or clinic specializing in travel medicine is highly recommended. Routine vaccinations should be updated, including: measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT) and poliovaccine, as well as hepatitis A and B, typhoid and rabies. A Yellow fever vaccination is also highly recommended, since proof of vaccination is required from all travelers to Ghana. Ghana also suffers from outbreaks of meningococcal disease, so vaccinations against meningitis are also suggested.

Ghana is a tropical environment and very prone to outbreaks of malaria. Precautionary measures include: antimalarial pills, which should be bought before traveling; using insect repellent with DEET; wearing long-sleeved clothing; and using mosquito nets while sleeping. A travel physician can advise which drugs are suitable, but note that chloroquine is not effective in treating malaria in Ghana and that halofantrine should only be used in emergencies when no other treatment is available.

Insect-borne diseases such as filariasis, leishmaniasis, and onchocerciasis (river blindness) and African trypanosomiasis (African sleeping sickness), as well as parasitic diseases like schistosomiasis are common to the region, and even the plague is not unknown. There have also been outbreaks of avian flu, typhoid, Lassa virus (transmitted through rat droppings or urine, even via inhalation) as well as tuberculosis and HIV. Water filters and purification tablets, iodine pills, sunscreen lotion, latex condoms, anti-diarrhea pills and alcohol-based hand sanitizer should be carried to protect health.

Even though Ghana is relatively wealthy, health care resources in remote areas can be very poor. Extra precautions must be made before making a trip. The country has very limited local private health insurance, so arrangements must be made before travel. Emergency evacuation is often required for situations requiring serious medical attention; as such all visitors to the country are strongly encouraged to purchase a comprehensive Ghana health insurance policy which provides and emergency evacuation benefit.

If you are planning to visit west Africa and Ghana is on your itinerary, Pacific Prime is available to assist with your international travel health insurance needs. Our experienced teams worldwide will provide a free consultation 24 hours, with options for solo travelers, families and tour groups. Policies cover medical services including: dental, maternity, specialist consultation, transportation, inpatient services and more. For more information about the Ghana health insurance policies we can offer, or to receive a free global health insurance quote, please contact us today.