A Ghanaian government policy that exempts pregnant women from paying premiums for the National Health Insurance Scheme, introduced in July 2008 to provide comprehensive antenatal, delivery and postnatal care at no direct cost. The policy built on an earlier 2003 pilot that had exempted maternal and infant health services from fees, and on a separate delivery-fee exemption policy that had covered antenatal care and normal, assisted and surgical deliveries until funding constraints ended it in 2007, after which maternal health coverage was folded into the National Health Insurance Scheme that had been operating since 2005. Under the policy, pregnant women receive free antenatal visits including medicines and two ultrasounds, free delivery services covering normal, assisted and surgical births and episiotomies, and free postnatal care and medicines for two postpartum visits, with the explicit aim of increasing use of antenatal care, skilled birth attendance and postnatal care across Ghana.
Facts
Sponsoring BodyMinistry of Health (MoH), Ghana Health Service (GHS), Christian Health Association of Ghana and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) 1 Target PopulationPregnant women registered under NHIS, with coverage extended to their newborns for the first three months of life 1 Geographic ScopeGhana, nationwide, under the National Health Insurance Scheme 1 Measured ResultsPer NHIS 2010 figures, more than 49 percent of registered card holders were under 18 and 5 percent were pregnant women; a 2013 qualitative study reported antenatal care uptake rising markedly, with less increase in assisted delivery, and no systematic monitoring and evaluation plan in place 1 Classification
Program KindHealth Insurance or Financing Program 1 Connections
Delivers Practice
Entity-backed identity for the program-kind enum value this public health program already carries, resolved to a health practice by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The program-kind fact itself stays on the program unchanged.
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Africa, found in there.
Sources
1. PMC: Policy Process and Early Implementation of Free NHIS Coverage for Pregnant Women in Ghana
PMC / National Library of Medicine (peer-reviewed journal article)Background, policy launch statement
The policy of providing free care under the NHIS for pregnant women was launched on the 1st July 2008.
Background, stakeholder statement
The main stakeholders were the Ministry of Health (MoH), GHS, Christian Health Association of Ghana and the NHIS, who worked together on the guidelines.
Background, policy scope statement
It waived the NHIS premium and registration fees and waiting time for pregnant women and entitled them to the full package of care provided by the NHIS. It also covered the newborn for the first three months of their life.
Results, NHIS 2010 registration figures
According the NHIS figures for 2010, more than 49% of its registered identity card holders were under-18, and 5% of them were pregnant women
Background, stakeholder statement (national scheme)
The main stakeholders were the Ministry of Health (MoH), GHS, Christian Health Association of Ghana and the NHIS, who worked together on the guidelines.
Program classification, entity description sentence
A Ghanaian government policy that exempts pregnant women from paying premiums for the National Health Insurance Scheme, introduced in July 2008 to provide comprehensive antenatal, delivery and postnatal care at no direct cost.
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