A peer-reviewed study by Valentine Golden Ghanem, a Ghanaian medical scientist and public health researcher, has demonstrated how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to identify structural inequities within Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Published in the international open-access medical journal Cureus (Springer Nature), the study applies decision-tree classification, spatial clustering, and geospatial analytics to district-level health insurance data. Moving beyond conventional descriptive statistics, the research identifies key predictors of NHIS exclusion, including geographic isolation, literacy levels, and unequal access to health infrastructure.
The findings challenge the assumption that under-enrolment in the NHIS is driven solely by economic factors. Instead, the study shows that spatial disadvantage and educational inequities play significant roles in limiting access to insurance coverage. By mapping statistically significant “inequity clusters,” the research provides evidence-based insights that could support the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in designing targeted, district-specific interventions.
The study contributes to the growing field of computational epidemiology, where machine learning tools are increasingly applied to inform population-level health policy. According to Ghanem, integrating AI into health systems analysis enables policymakers to shift from reactive planning to more predictive and preventive approaches.
Biographical and academic background
Valentine Golden Ghanem is a multidisciplinary researcher working at the intersection of public health, data science, and health systems governance. He holds an MSc in Data Science from the University of East London, with advanced training in predictive modelling, machine learning, and big-data analytics for public health applications.
He is currently pursuing a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Law at Liverpool John Moores University, with academic interests in health rights, global governance, and regulatory frameworks for digital health technologies.
Ghanem also serves as Principal Biomedical Scientist at the Cocoa Clinic under Ghana COCOBOD and has over a decade of experience in laboratory medicine, diagnostics, and health service administration.
The full study is available at: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.101984
