The Country Director of PharmAccess, Dr. (Med) Maxwell Antwi, has warned of an imminent collapse of the country’s health-financing system due to the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly diabetes and hypertension.
He said the two conditions were consuming an increasingly large share of the health budget, placing severe pressure on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and threatening its long-term sustainability.
Speaking on Innovative Financing Models for Healthcare Sustainability at the 2025 Annual General Meeting of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr. Antwi revealed that the NHIS currently spent about 25 per cent of its annual expenditure on the treatment of hypertension, diabetes, and their related complications.
“If we do not prioritise preventive lifestyle interventions and health promotion, these diseases will overwhelm our financing system,” he cautioned.
Dr. Antwi noted that an estimated 30 per cent of Ghana’s adult population lives with either hypertension or diabetes, a situation he described as not only a public health concern but also an economic threat. Controlled disease rates, he said, would help preserve productivity and support national economic stability.
He explained that while the fiscal strain was growing, there were also significant opportunities for private investment in healthcare. Institutions such as Oasis Capital, Golden Palm Investments, the Investment Funds for Health in Africa, and the Medical Credit Fund were ready to provide financing ranging from small health-SME loans to multi-million-dollar equity for hospitals, diagnostic services, and pharmaceutical infrastructure.
To attract these investments, he proposed partnership models including Build–Finance–Operate–Transfer arrangements, management contracts, lease or concession agreements, joint ventures, and performance-based outsourcing. Such models, Dr. Antwi said, would revitalise idle public health infrastructure, improve service efficiency, and ensure shared risk without amounting to privatisation.
Dr. Antwi also highlighted the NHIS’s digital transformation as a major enabler of health-system efficiency. The introduction of biometric enrolment, digital credentialing, and the digitisation of over 90 per cent of claims had positioned the Scheme to make evidence-based purchasing decisions.
He noted that with the dedicated Data Analytics Unit in place, Ghana was well-placed to adopt value-based care models that reward improved patient outcomes rather than service volume.
A key focus of his presentation was the ongoing value-based care initiative for hypertension and diabetes being implemented by the NHIA and the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG). The programme, covering 22 facilities, has so far enrolled 2,534 out of its target of 2,750 patients—representing a 92 per cent achievement.
Regional baseline data showed significant variation, with the Ahafo Region recording an average systolic blood pressure of 191 mmHg, the highest among participating sites. Nonetheless, the programme was producing encouraging results, with 54 per cent of enrolled patients achieving controlled blood pressure compared to just six per cent in the general population.
Dr. Antwi acknowledged challenges including staff turnover, policy gaps, and the need for stricter adherence to quality-of-care protocols. However, he maintained that the investment case for health remained compelling, especially as hypertension continues to be the leading cause of adult deaths in the country.
He urged government, private investors, and health professionals to strengthen collaboration to avert a looming financing crisis. “We cannot solve Ghana’s health-financing challenges in silos. Partnerships, data, and innovative models are the only way forward,” he said, calling on the GMA to champion the reforms.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
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