Few Ghanaian families have access to health insurance. Underprivileged families/people have to make a down payment known as “cash and carry” before receiving any form of diagnosis or treatment, which is most of the time more expensive. As result most of these people have limited access to healthcare when the need arises.
The main problem is that underprivileged children have limited access to healthcare. Most of these children are raised by a jobless single parent who is often not able to afford the down payment known as “cash and carry”. As a result, the child will not benefit from any form of treatment. Such a situation is highly problematic and leads to spreading out of diseases (that could easily be treated) in school and higher absenteeism rates.
Providing health insurance for these children is a perfect solution. It allows their parent to be less worried, the child to access safe and effective healthcare, and as a result to increase their attendance in school and protect the health of other classmates. In turn, this solution will positively contribute to their academic performance and most importantly to them staying healthy. The insurance covers: consultation, treatments, medication and sometimes-even laboratory test.
The long-term impact of providing annual health insurance for underprivileged children is to enhance access to quality healthcare, reduce of “cash and carry” (pocket fund) payment and above all saving the lives of the future leaders in our community.
