Features
Should our Health Minister continue to be at post?
Kwaku Agyemang-Manu
Ghana was the first Sub-Saharan African country to introduce the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2003 through an Act of Parliament (Act 650 Amended Act 852), and its full implementation started in 2004. Under the NHIS Amendment Act 852 (2012), every Ghanaian is required to enroll in the health insurance scheme, which is regarded as one of the social intervention programme introduced by the government to provide financial access to quality and affordable health care to Ghanaians.
The scheme is largely funded by the National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL), which is a 2.5 per cent levy on goods and services collected under the Value Added Tax (VAT), 2.5 percentage points of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contributions per month.
BACKGROUND OF NHIS
For the benefit of my readers and to refresh their minds about how this laudable initiative came into being, let me take them down memory lane so they can better understand the emergence of the NHIS. The idea to establish the NHIS in Ghana was conceived by former President John Agyekum Kufuor, who used the scheme as a campaign promise in the 2000 general election. He promised to abolish the so-called “Cash and Carry” system of health delivery in the country when he gained power in the county. True to his campaign promise, President Kufuor, after winning the election, introduced the scheme in 2003, during his first term in office.
The main objective of the NHIS was to ensure that it covered all indigenous Ghanaians with the purpose of delivering comprehensive and affordable health care nationwide. The scheme was designed to cover employees both in the formal and informal sectors, the unemployed in rural and urban communities across the country. Since its introduction, the scheme has witnessed remarkable progress in various regimes that came after former President Kufuor’s administration. Former presidents John Evans Atta Mills, John Dramani Mahama and the current President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, readily embraced the scheme because of its immense benefits to the people and the country in general, and therefore they adopted it as one of the social interventions in the health sector and gave the scheme the needed push.
EXEMPTION OF CERTAIN CATEGORIES
The scope of the scheme was therefore widened to rope in more beneficiaries and was made compulsory by the government based on past experiences that showed that most of the citizens could not engage in the programme and the fact that the government has the duty to protect the general welfare and well-being of all Ghanaians. The flexible nature of the scheme and its lower registration fees made it quite easy for people to register and enroll as members. The scheme was designed to exempt certain categories of people, including older people, from paying certain charges.
Like all human institutions across the globe, the HNIS, despite its successful implementation over the years in the country, has been confronted with a number of challenges and problems, such as poor coverage, poor quality care, corruption, poor stakeholder participation, a lack of clarity on concepts in the policy, intense political influence, and poor funding. These administrative lapses, coupled with other in-built challenges, are indeed, affecting the smooth operation of this laudable scheme. It may interest my readers and patrons to know that the scheme has passed through the hands of many experts on health issues, but to no avail. The current head of the NHIA, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, a young and affable medical officer and one-time Deputy Minister of Health, who was appointed by the government recently to manage the place, is overwhelmed with problems, although he is trying his possible best to streamline operations of the NHIS. He has introduced far-reaching ideas to solve some of the problems within the system, but there is still more to be done to make the system productive.
SYNCHRONIZING NHIS AND GHANA CARDS
For instance, plans are well advanced by the new head to team up with his counterparts at the National Identification Authority (NIA) to synchronize the NHIS card with the Ghana Card as a common medium to access primary health care in Ghana. The scheme has also been digitalised to make registration and renewal of cards easier and more effective. Suffice it to say, the NHIS, unlike the “cash and carry” system, which requires upfront payment of medical care and imposes financial stress on Ghanaians in terms of health care delivery, has been a laudable social intervention that needs to be adequately supported by the government if we are to achieve universal health care for all Ghanaians by the year 2024 and beyond.
Frankly speaking, the NHIS has been a source of hope for the majority of people in rural areas who depend on it to access their health needs. However, this all-important scheme is confronted with huge arrears for the service providers, who are finding it difficult to operate the system effectively. When patients visit some of these service providers, they will only be examined by doctors at the Out-Patient-Department (OPD) and told to buy the drugs (even those covered by the scheme) from the pharmacy shops.
HEALTH MINISTER’S ADMISSION OF NHIS FAILURES
Recently, the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu on whose bosom the whole NHIS lies, admitted that the scheme was not functioning properly as it should, claiming that instead of benefiting from the scheme, poor subscribers were being overcharged and denied necessary services that they had already paid for. He cited his own experiences, claiming that he had to pay for healthcare services out of his pocket when he visited hospitals like Ridge and the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), even though he is an NHIS subscriber. That was when the minister addressed the Ghana Health Service Senior Managers Meeting 2023 on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
Indeed, the unfortunate statement from the Health Minister goes to prove he is not on top of issues regarding his outfit, especially the health issues of Ghanaians, which should be his major concern. The entire NHIS programme falls within your purview, and you have to take a keen interest in the scheme and ensure that it works efficiently and satisfactorily. If, as a sector minister, you are complaining and condemning the NHIS as not working, then, as a minister, you don’t know your job and, therefore, you have failed completely. Who do you expect to come and fix the problem when those working there, especially the bosses, take instructions from you, the political head of that place? Elsewhere in certain jurisdictions, you will lose your job immediately for that unguarded and unsavory comment.
MINISTERS MUST OPERATE RESPONSIBLY
Ministers of state are appointed by the President to represent his interests in the portfolios they have been assigned. They are expected to see to the smooth operations of establishments under their various ministries by ensuring that they remain efficient and effective in their daily operations. Failure to ensure that the establishment under their control as ministers of state and political heads is potent and smooth-sailing means they have failed completely and, therefore, are not fit to be in that office.
As a matter of principle, Ghanaians expect people placed in positions of authority by the government to be more responsible and proactive in their daily activities instead of apportioning blame, which is unnecessary. These service providers need money to purchase drugs and other equipment to serve subscribers of the NHIS efficiently. However, if the government defaults on reimbursement, how can they operate effectively?
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By Charles Neequaye
Today, I focus on the Apostolic Church International in Finland, as I continue with my description of institutions and personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland.
The Apostolic Church International, Finland (or, Apostolic International Association Ry) was established in October 9, 2023. The Church in Finland has seen significant strides and accomplishments within the short time that it has been established in Finland, which must be highlighted.
History of the Church in Ghana
The Apostolic Church Ghana originated from the 1904–1905 Welsh revival, officially established in Ghana (then called Gold Coast) in 1935 following connections between a local prayer group in Asamankese (a town in southern Ghana), led by Peter Newman Anim, and the Apostolic Church, UK. There were historical splits in 1939 and 1953, but the Apostolic Church attained autonomy in 1985.
Today, the Church is headquartered in Accra. Last year (2025), it dedicated its new 10-storey headquarters, “The Apostolic Church Tower,” in Frafraha, Adenta West in Accra.
Activities of the Apostolic Church in Finland
The Apostolic Church in Finland conducts church service on Sundays. The service starts at 11a.m. in the morning and closes by 1 p.m. in the afternoon. There are no other activities during other days for now.
The Minister in charge of the church in Finland is also the Area Head of Italy Area. He is Pastor Daniel Kofi Addison who is the new Italy Area Head, and has just been transferred from UK South Area to Italy Area during the just-ended Council Meeting in March this year. Italy Area comprises Italy, which has 13 Assemblies, Germany, one Assembly, and Finland, one Assembly.
Elder Ebenezer Amoaning-Coffie is the Presiding Elder in charge of the Assembly in Finland. A Presiding Elder is responsible for day to day activities of the church (Assembly) and reports to the District Pastor, or in the absence of the District Pastor, reports to the Area Head.
Achievements
The Apostolic Church International, Finland was officially registered under the Finnish Law, guaranteeing freedom of worship and providing legal foundation for future growth. The church service is conducted in both English and Twi.
The church opens its doors to all people of every nation, especially Ghanaians who are in Finland and other African nationals. Now, the membership comprises Ghanaians, Nigerians and Sierra Leoneans.
The Church and the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland
The Apostolic Church in Finland plays a prominent role as a religious group that serves Ghanaian migrants and others in the Finnish society.
Thus, the Apostolic Church is a religious body for Ghanaian migrants in Finland and other nationalities who want to worship with them for diversity and better intercultural and multicultural understanding.
Elder Amoaning-Coffie said that the main and primary aim of the church is to bring people closer to God. “We aim to win souls for Christ. We aim to preach the gospel to the world. By propagating the gospel to the people, we are hopeful that they will turn away from any ungodly ways and be good individuals in the community and in society in general”, he stated.
He said that everything is going well so far. A key challenge, however, is how to get more members especially the youth. As a new Assembly, we are in need of instrumentalists, for example. We pray to God Almighty to help us do His work, the Elder disclosed.
Integration
By its activities, the Apostolic Church is helping to ensure integration of its members well into the Finish society. This is important since social interaction and citizens’ well-being are an important part of the integration process in Finland.
As I mentioned some time ago, the role of migrant associations and groups such as the Apostolic Church acting as bridge-builders for the integration and inclusion of migrants through participation in the decision making process and by acting as a representative voice is highly appreciated in Finland. Thank you!
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
The landscape of the Ghanaian palate is shifting, and not necessarily for the better. In our bustling urban centres, from the streets of Accra to the suburbs of Kumasi, a quiet culinary revolution is taking place; one where the mortar and pestle are being replaced by the pizza oven and the deep fryer. This transition from traditional staple foods like fufu, banku, akple, kenkey, tuo zaafi, and ampesi toward “continental” dishes is more than just a change in appetite; it is a reflection of a deeper social struggle with identity and prestige.
The illusion of modernity
For many, “stepping out” for a meal has become synonymous with consuming foreign cuisine. There is an unspoken social hierarchy where a bowl of Abunuabunu is relegated to the village category, while burgers, pizzas are branded as prestigious choices. We have reached a stage where we equate foreign with modern and local with primitive.
This perception is a dangerous illusion. Our traditional dishes are marvels of culinary engineering complex, nutrient-dense, and deeply rooted in our history. When we choose a processed foreign import over a meal made from local tubers or fermented maize, we are not just changing our lunch; we are eroding the indigenous knowledge attached to our local ingredients and foods.
We need to turn the consumption of indigenous grains and tubers like millet, sorghum, and plantain into a statement of self-worth and national pride.
The cultural and health erosion
Every time a local dish disappears from a restaurant menu to make room for foreign fast food, we lose a piece of our cultural fabric. Traditional Ghanaian cooking is an art that requires patience and skill. By choosing the convenience of foreign fast food, we are raising a generation that may know the taste of a pepperoni pizza but cannot identify the rich, earthy profile of Prekese or the subtle tang of well-fermented dough dishes like corn porridge, banku, etew, abolo, agidi or kamfa, and kenkey.
Furthermore, we are at the crossroads of a nutrition transition. Replacing high-fiber, indigenous crops with calorie-dense but nutrient-poor foreign fast foods is driving a rise in lifestyle diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and liver disease. We are trading our longevity for 15-minutes convenience or unhealthy diet.
A call for culinary patriotism
It is time for us to appreciate, preserve, and promote our indigenous foods and culinary traditions. We need to be proud of our local dishes, ingredients and cooking methods, rather than relying heavily on foreign or imported foods. We must stop viewing our local delicacies as low-class and start treating our culinary heritage as the high-end gastronomy it truly is.
True sophistication does not come from imitating Western fast food; it comes from innovation and adding values to our own resources. We see glimpses of this potential in the rise of branded Sobolo and the creative use of gluten-free plantain flour in modern baking of flour-based dishes such as bread, cakes, biscuits and others. This is the path forward. We must elevate our local dishes, making them as accessible, affordable, presentable and trendy as any foreign alternative.
To the hospitality industry: Innovate or stagnate
Our hotels and high-end restaurants must lead the charge. They must stop relegating local dishes to the “traditional corner” of the buffet, and apply the same culinary finesse given to imported dishes to our Fante Fante, apapransa, aborbi tadi, fetritoto, akple, abolo, yakayeke, fufu, ampesi, kokonte, wasawasa, tubani, apapransa, mpotompoto, kelewele, aliha, brukutu, pito, and other local dishes. The industry must enhance customer experiences making eating local dishes the ultimate luxury experience for both tourists and residents alike. We must elevate the presentation of our foods by using modern plating techniques to show that a bowl of light soup can be as visually stunning as a French consommé. We need to reclaim our Ghanaian plate before it is too late.
To the policy makers: Let us encourage buying of local ingredients to promote the local food industry and economy. There should be educational programmes and talks about the nutritional and cultural benefits of local foods so that people understand their value.
We need to encourage serving traditional dishes at school programmes, parties, and celebrations instead of only fast foods,
To the Youth: Let us value and appreciate our traditional dishes instead of always choosing foreign foods. There must be balance in our choice of local and foreign dishes. Confidence in our culture encourages others to respect it too. Our local dishes can also be promoted by sharing pictures, recipes, and videos on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp to make them attractive and trendy.
Young citizens must learn from their parents and elders how to prepare local meals to keep the knowledge and cultural relevance alive. Local dishes can be modernised to appeal to younger generations and tourists.
Conclusion
We cannot afford to trade our heritage for foreign cuisines which are gaining grounds across the country at an alarming rate. We must disabuse our minds of the perception that anything foreign or imported is better than those locally made. Our health, economy, and identity are tied to the soil. It is time to stop apologising for our local flavours and start celebrating them. It is possible to embrace modernity without losing ourselves and our cultural identity. Let us make the Ghanaian kitchen the heart of our modern identity once again.
By: Marilyn Gadogbe
