This investigative story, told in a 36-minute video documentary attached below, exposes how some staff at the Upper East Regional Hospital are forcing patients to pay twice for surgical services covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
It reveals how staff issue ghost receipts to hide the theft. It also captures how a shop owner, whose receipt copies are being used without his consent, is angry and ready to take action.
This act violates both human rights and the law. Poor patients who cannot pay may go home and die, and the country loses revenue as a result. Public calls are mounting for the arrest and prosecution of the hospital staff involved.
Collecting payments from insured patients with active NHIS cards, known as co-payment, is illegal. Section 35(1) of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act, 2012 (Act 852) requires all certified healthcare providers to comply with the approved lists and tariffs of medicines and services.
In August 2025, NHIA Chief Executive, Dr. Victor Asare Bampoe, warned that non-compliant facilities would face sanctions, refunds, and possible prosecution.
“We are no longer tolerating illegal charges or fraudulent claims. If you’re a credentialled facility and you’re submitting false claims or charging NHIS members for services already covered, your days are numbered,” he told stakeholders during a tour of the country last year.
Watch the documentary below:
Source: Edward Adeti/Media Without Borders/mwbonline.org/Ghana/West Africa
