Hon. Mohammed Amin Adam, the Minister of Finance has emphasized the government’s commitment to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which has expanded to serve 17 million individuals today.
He noted that the NHIS coverage has dramatically increased from under 9 million during former President Kufuor’s administration to its current level.
“We have invested more in NHIS; in 2016, the government spent GHS 1.1 billion, last year we spent GHS 3 billion, and this year we are spending GHS 6.5 billion. That is where we are spending our money,” he stated, underscoring the government’s focus on healthcare as a critical area of investment.
The minister revealed this during a the Regional Townhall Meeting held at the GNAT Hall today.
In his address, Hon. Adam also touched on the government’s economic achievements and challenges since taking power in 2017, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He explained that the government had to restructure its debt to comply with International Monetary Fund (IMF) requirements, a move that he described as “a necessary decision at the time.”
He urged Ghanaians to forgive the government for any hardships caused by these adjustments, asserting that it was never the intention of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to impose difficulties on its citizens. “If we had avoided this, the economy would not have recovered what has been recovered today,” he added.
Highlighting Ghana’s economic growth, Hon. Adam revealed that the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio has improved from 72% to 70.6%.
He pointed out that before the pandemic, Ghana’s economy was growing at an average annual rate of 7%, achieving significant milestones in 2017 and 2018. However, the economic impact of COVID-19 saw growth plummet to 0.5% in 2020.
“In 2021, we saw a rapid recovery because of the policies the government implemented,” he noted, attributing the nation’s recovery to strategic planning and effective governance.
The meeting featured other notable speakers, including the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Hon. Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, and the Minister of Information, Hon. Fatimatu Abubakar, who echoed the call for national unity and resilience amidst economic challenges.
