The Speaker of Parliament, Alban S. K. Bagbin, has urged the government to expand Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to include coverage for lupus and other autoimmune diseases. He made the appeal during a meeting with the Oyemam Autoimmune Foundation, stressing the urgent need to ease the financial burden on patients facing high treatment costs.
Speaker Bagbin emphasised that integrating lupus care into the NHIS would significantly improve healthcare access for affected individuals. “Chronic conditions like lupus should not bankrupt our citizens. The NHIS must rise to the challenge,” he said.
Emma Danso, Executive Director of the Oyemam Autoimmune Foundation, added that lupus remains widely misunderstood in Ghana, often leading to misdiagnoses and late interventions. She called for the creation of dedicated lupus clinics and greater public education to combat stigma and increase early detection.
The Foundation also petitioned the government to include lupus medications under NHIS coverage, citing high out-of-pocket costs as a major barrier for patients.
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