A video circulating on social media shows people described as a Nigerian family in Ghana celebrating after obtaining National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) cards.
The video was posted by ASK Ghana with the caption: “A Nigerian family in Ghana happily flaunts their NHIS cards after acquiring them.” The post has since attracted significant engagement online.
However, while the social-media post and video are authentic, GhanaMedia.net could not independently establish the identities or nationality of the individuals shown in the footage.
Can foreigners obtain health insurance in Ghana?
Yes. Ghana’s National Health Insurance Act, 2012 (Act 852), states that the objective of the National Health Insurance Authority includes achieving universal health-insurance coverage for people resident in Ghana as well as people who are not resident in Ghana but are visiting the country.
The Ministry of Health provides information on the mandate of the National Health Insurance Authority.
The Ministry of Health and the National Health Insurance Authority also launched a National Non-Resident Visitors Health Insurance Policy in February 2024. The policy was intended to promote health-insurance coverage for non-resident visitors to Ghana.
There is also recent evidence that migrant communities in Ghana are being considered in efforts to expand NHIS access. A September 2026 study on migrant workers in the Wa Municipality recommended targeted NHIS registration and renewal drives for migrant communities.
Important distinction
The existence of mechanisms allowing foreigners or visitors to access health-insurance coverage does not automatically prove that every foreign national in Ghana qualifies for the same NHIS benefits or receives them for free.
In June 2024, the Ministry of Health cautioned that a proposed mandatory health-insurance policy for non-Ghanaian visitors had not been approved as government policy at that time.
Therefore, the viral video should not be presented as evidence that “Ghana gives free NHIS cards to Nigerians” or that Nigerians automatically qualify for free Ghanaian health insurance.
What GhanaMedia.net Can Confirm
The video is genuinely circulating from ASK Ghana, and Ghana’s health-insurance framework does provide for coverage involving non-Ghanaian residents and visitors.
However, the specific nationality and circumstances of the individuals shown in the video cannot be independently confirmed from the footage alone.
GhanaMedia Verification
PARTLY VERIFIED — CONTEXT REQUIRED.
The broader claim that foreigners can access health-insurance arrangements in Ghana is supported by Ghanaian law and official health-policy information. The specific claim that the people shown are a Nigerian family who obtained the cards, however, remains based on the originating social-media post and has not been independently established by GhanaMedia.net.
Sources:
- Ghana Ministry of Health — National Health Insurance Authority
- Ghana News Agency — Non-Resident Visitors Health Insurance Policy
- Ghana News Agency — Migrant Workers and NHIS Access
- Ghana National Health Insurance Act, 2012 (Act 852)
Published by GhanaMedia.net — News That Empowers. Stories That Connect.
