Travel insurance for Accra, Ghana, is worth arranging before you fly into Kotoka International Airport (ACC), and there is one entry rule you cannot skip: proof of yellow-fever vaccination. Ghana is a welcoming and increasingly popular West African destination, with good hospitals in Accra by regional standards, but medical costs fall on the visitor and a serious case can mean an expensive evacuation.
Yellow fever is mandatory
A yellow-fever vaccination certificate is mandatory for all travellers to Ghana, and it is strictly enforced: officials check the physical certificate at Kotoka International Airport on arrival. Carry the original International Certificate of Vaccination booklet, not a photocopy, because without it you can be denied entry. Arrange the vaccination well ahead of time, as the certificate only becomes valid ten days after the dose. Malaria is also present year-round, so plan for antimalarial medication and make sure any policy covers malaria treatment.
Medical care and evacuation
Accra has some of the better hospitals in the region. Korle Bu Teaching Hospital is a large national referral centre offering surgery, trauma care, and specialist services, and there are respected private facilities such as Nyaho Medical Centre. Even so, for a serious case that local hospitals cannot handle, evacuation may be necessary, and an air ambulance, for example to South Africa, can cost tens of thousands of US dollars. Hospitals expect payment or a guarantee of payment at the time of care rather than billing a foreign health plan, so a policy that covers emergency treatment, evacuation, and repatriation, and pays providers directly, is the practical safeguard.
Choosing a policy
Read the medical and evacuation limits first, then the exclusions, and confirm Ghana and treatment for malaria and other tropical illnesses are covered. Subscription-style cover such as SafetyWing suits long or multi-country African trips, while a fixed per-trip policy is simpler for a single visit. Buy the cover before you leave home, because most insurers will not sell or honour a policy once your trip has already started, and keep the insurer's 24-hour assistance line, your yellow-fever certificate, and your policy details together.