Nutrition
Integrating RUTF Into NHIS: Strengthening Health Systems and Protecting Ghana’s Future
Malnutrition remains one of the most significant barriers to Ghana’s long-term development. While its effects are most visible in childhood illness and mortality, its consequences extend far beyond the health sector, affecting education outcomes, labor productivity, and economic growth.
Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), in particular, demands urgent policy attention due to its direct link to preventable child deaths. At the center of the solution lies Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and the need for its inclusion in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
NHIS has played a critical role in expanding access to healthcare by reducing out-of-pocket expenditures and improving utilization of services. However, the exclusion of RUTF exposes a structural weakness in the system.
When families cannot access treatment for SAM through NHIS, the burden of care shifts back to households already struggling with poverty and food insecurity.
RUTF is not a luxury commodity; it is an essential medicine for malnutrition. Its formulation allows children to be treated at home, reducing hospitalization costs and improving adherence. Evidence from Ghana and other countries shows that community-based management of acute malnutrition is both effective and scalable when adequately financed.
Failure to integrate RUTF into NHIS creates inefficiencies across the health system. Facilities cannot plan effectively, health workers face ethical dilemmas, and monitoring of outcomes becomes fragmented. By contrast, NHIS coverage would allow for standardized protocols, better data collection, and improved quality of care.
Importantly, integrating RUTF into NHIS would reduce Ghana’s dependence on donor funding for a core child survival intervention.
While development partners play a valuable role, reliance on external funding for essential services poses sustainability risks. National ownership through NHIS financing would ensure continuity of care and long-term impact.
The economic case is equally compelling. Studies consistently show that investments in nutrition yield some of the highest returns in development, often exceeding returns from infrastructure projects. Children who receive timely treatment for malnutrition are more likely to complete school, earn higher incomes, and contribute to national growth.
As Ghana advances its Universal Health Coverage agenda, it is imperative that nutrition interventions are fully integrated into health financing decisions.
Leaving RUTF outside NHIS sends the message that malnutrition is a peripheral issue rather than a core determinant of health and development.
Policymakers have the opportunity to correct this imbalance. Integrating RUTF into NHIS would strengthen the health system, protect vulnerable children, and safeguard Ghana’s future workforce. It is a policy decision grounded in evidence, equity, and national interest.
Key Policy Recommendations: The Ministry of Health and NHIA should immediately commission a costing study to integrate RUTF into the NHIS benefits package by 2027. Parliament’s Health Committee should prioritize oversight of this integration, with quarterly progress reports.
The National Health Insurance Authority must allocate 2-3% of its annual budget to nutrition interventions, including RUTF coverage for all diagnosed SAM cases. District health directorates should establish standardized RUTF distribution protocols, with digital tracking systems to monitor utilization and outcomes.
Finally, the Ghana Health Service should launch a nationwide training programme for health workers on community-based management of acute malnutrition, ensuring quality service delivery from hospital to household level.
Feature article by Women, Media and Change under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition project
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Ghana has nutrition policies. Ghana has nutrition targets. Ghana has nutrition programmes spread across multiple ministries and dozens of implementing partners.
What Ghana does not have is a single, empowered body responsible for leading, coordinating, and holding all this together. That is the gap a National Nutrition Council would fill, and stakeholders are calling for one now.
The case for a council
At a stakeholder engagement convened under the Nourish Ghana project in 2025, participants proposed the establishment of a National Nutrition Council to provide effective leadership and a governance framework for addressing malnutrition in Ghana. The meeting, which brought together policymakers, development partners, civil society organisations, and the media, highlighted a fundamental problem: nutrition responsibilities are fragmented across various ministries. Without a dedicated coordination body, efforts are duplicated, accountability is diffuse, and nutrition consistently loses out when budgets are tight.
The proposal echoes a model used in several countries that have made the fastest progress against malnutrition. Nigeria’s National Council on Nutrition, for example, recently pledged $107 million at the 2025 N4G Summit, a level of coordinated ambition that Ghana has struggled to match.
Ghana does have existing coordination structures worth acknowledging. The Scaling Up Nutrition Cross-Sectoral Planning Group (CSPG), established in 2012, was set up to harmonise planning, implementation, and monitoring of nutrition actions across sectors. It has produced real gains. But the challenge has been institutionalising those gains beyond project cycles, and analysts have called for an elevated national coordination body with presidential oversight to ensure genuine cross-sector accountability. A National Nutrition Council would go further, providing the dedicated financing and convening authority that the CSPG, as currently structured, does not have.
What a Council would do
A National Nutrition Council would provide political oversight and coordination across all sectors involved in nutrition, health, agriculture, education, social protection, and finance. It would track Ghana’s nutrition commitments, hold ministries accountable for delivery, and ensure that nutrition budgets are protected and spent effectively. Most importantly, it would give nutrition a permanent seat at the table where national development decisions are made.
The Time Is Now
Ghana made 10 commitments at the 2025 N4G Paris Summit. Translating those commitments into results requires a governance structure that does not currently exist. Establishing a National Nutrition Council is not a bureaucratic exercise. It is the institutional foundation without which Ghana’s nutrition ambitions will remain promises on paper. Leaders must act on this proposal without delay.
Feature article by Women, Media and Change under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition project
-350grammes of plain flour
-2 tablespoonfuls of baking powder
-2 tablespoonfuls of grinded ginger
-1 tablespoonful of grinded cinnamon
-1/2 tablespoonful of grinded cloves (optional)
-1/2 tablespoonful of nutmeg
-Salt
– 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened
-1 cup of dark brown sugar
-2 large eggs
-1/2 cup of golden syrup
-1 tablespoonful of vanilla extract
-Sprinkles, edible glitter, or small sweets
Preparation
-Begin by preheating the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and lining a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
-In a large bowl, sift together the plain flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Stir well and set aside.
-In another bowl, use an electric whisk or a wooden spoon to cream the softened butter and dark brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. (This step helps incorporate air into the dough, giving your gingerbread a lovely texture).
-Beat eggs into the butter and sugar mixture, then mix in the golden syrup and vanilla extract. (Stir until the mixture is fully combined).
-Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring gently until a dough forms. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
-Wrap the dough in cling film and chill it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Chilling the dough makes it easier to roll and ensures that the shapes hold their form during baking.
-On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 5mm (1/4 inch). Place the cut-out shapes on the prepared baking tray, leaving a little space between each one.
-Bake the gingerbread in the preheated oven for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges begin to darken slightly. Keep a close eye on them to avoid over-baking.
– Get creative with sprinkles, edible glitter, or small sweets to make your gingerbread truly unique.
