The Political Economy of Universal Healthcare in Africa: Evidence from Ghana

The book critically assesses healthcare reforms in Ghana under the Fourth Republic, focusing on the National Health Insurance Scheme of 2003. It argues that while Ghana is a leader in healthcare reforms in Africa, its initiatives are still far from achieving healthcare as a human right. The book highlights the need to translate human rights law into practical policies and proposes a four-hallmark framework for assessing healthcare reforms in Africa. It offers a valuable resource for academics, students, and policymakers in development and healthcare economics, law, public policy, political science, sociology, and African and Caribbean studies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 130 pages
Publication date: 29 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The global surge in pandemics, including the recent COVID-19 outbreak, and other health-related challenges, some of which are linked to climate change, have posed significant challenges to healthcare systems across the world. In response to this pressing issue, this book delves into the critical assessment of healthcare reforms in Ghana under the Fourth Republic, which began in 1993. While the book primarily focuses on Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme of 2003, it goes beyond this program to provide a comprehensive analysis of healthcare initiatives in the country.

The book argues that, despite Ghana's role as a pioneer in healthcare reforms in Africa, its healthcare efforts still fall far short of ensuring healthcare as a fundamental human right. The book's central themes revolve around the need to translate human rights laws, such as the right to health, into practical policies that benefit ordinary citizens. Key highlights of the book include a heightened emphasis on health as a human right, a focus on comparative analysis in healthcare studies, and the development of a four-hallmark framework, rooted in economics, law, politics, and human rights, to serve as a guide for evaluating healthcare reforms in Africa, particularly in Ghana.

By using Ghana as a case study and analytical window into the world, the book offers a valuable and timely resource for academics, students, and policymakers across a wide range of disciplines, including development and healthcare economics, law, public policy, political science, sociology, and African and Caribbean studies. Additionally, the book is relevant to various fields within health science.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032205519