The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Chief Executive, Dr Okoe Boye has contended that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is Ghana’s health safety net, for which reason all residents in Ghana should sign up for the Scheme.
For Ghanaians to appreciate the impact of the NHIS, he said “The best way to determine whether the programme is effective is to participate in it.
”During a working visit to the Kpeshie NHIS District Office in the Greater Accra Region, he affirmed the Governing Board and management’s commitment to plug the financial leakages and make the Scheme more financially sustainable.
He said the government’s efforts to integrate the NHIS Card with the Ghana Card to improve quality healthcare service delivery has received a major boost and emphasized the need to intensify the campaign.
Dr Okoe Boye implored the staff to step up their outreach activities and persuade the general population to enrol on the Scheme.
He reminded all NHIS active members to promptly renew their membership cards using the Mobile Renewal Service short code *929#, as the NHIS remains the surest way to reduce out-of-pocket payment for healthcare services.
The NHIA Boss recounted the upward adjustment of NHIA medicine tariffs by some 30 percent meant to ensure that health facilities will have essential drugs available to take care of the public. He, therefore, appealed to the general population to get enrolled on the NHIS and take advantage of the generous Benefit Package available on the Scheme.
NHIS @20 celebration
The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) which was established under Act 650 (2003), amended to Act 852 (2012) 20th Anniversary is scheduled for the year 2023.
The Scheme was launched to promote access to equitable and quality healthcare for all residents in Ghana.
As a pro-poor social intervention program, the Scheme’s primary goal is to increase affordability and accessibility to quality healthcare services, especially among the poor and most vulnerable populations.
Since its inception, there has been an exponential improvement in the health-seeking behaviour of the population, as more people are seeking medical attention early and avoiding unnecessary deterioration in their medical conditions.
The new financial reforms including prompt payments of Claims to healthcare providers in recent times have increased the public’s confidence in the Scheme.
The Scheme’s inclusive Benefit Package covers 95 percent of health conditions in Ghana and the Benefit Package has successfully been expanded over the years.
The most recent inclusions are the four main childhood cancers, family planning, and a specialist anti-breast cancer treatment drug called Herceptin.
The NHIS is governed by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), headquartered in Accra, and has sixteen (16) administrative regional offices, 175 district offices and four (4) Claims Processing Centres (CPC).
The NHIA has contracts with over four thousand (4,000) credentialled public, private, and faith-based healthcare service providers.
In collaboration with the National Identification Authority (NIA), the NHIA seeks to adopt the use of the Ghana Card to access healthcare services.
The NHIS is the vehicle and road on which Ghana’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) drives and management is committed to the agenda.