The National Health Insurance Authority in the Savannah region on Friday, 26th April, 2024 held its End of Year performance review meeting for the year 2023 at Damongo.
The event was attended by esteemed Staff of the Authority from all five District Offices within the region, representatives from various offices and stakeholders. The review meeting was to reflect on the region’s achievements, challenges, and the outlook for 2024 in implementing the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Chief Dauda Mahama, the Ag. Regional Director of the National Health Insurance Authority commenced his address by highlighting the significance of the National Health Insurance Scheme ( NHIS ) as a pivotal social intervention program in Ghana’s history.
He emphasized the immense responsibilities entrusted to the attendees and stressed the importance of collectively reviewing the region’s performance, understanding the prevailing challenges, and charting a path forward.
Drawing attention to a landmark event on February 15, 2024, Chief Dauda Mahama celebrated the commissioning of the state-of-the-art Savannah Regional Office of the NHIA and the provision of a new Toyota Hilux Pick-up vehicle to the Central Gonja District Office. These initiatives, he noted, underscored efforts to enhance the visibility and reliability of the NHIA as a public service organization.
Chief Mahama entreated all staff within the Region, to support the newly appointed Chief Executive of the NHIA, Dr. DaCosta Aboagye, a seasoned health insurance expert with a wealth of experience in the sector to enable Dr. Aboagye to realize his vision for the NHIS.
The Ag. regional NHIA director proceeded to provide an overview of the region’s performance in 2023, highlighting achievements such as the registration of 48.8% of the projected regional population into the NHIS and the attainment of 89.1% of the year’s active membership target, ranking the region sixth nationally. Notably, the region exceeded its annual Indigents target by registering 134% of the target for poor and vulnerable individuals, ranking third nationally in indigent performance.
Addressing challenges facing the scheme, Chief Mahama lamented the prevalence of illegal payments, such as co-payments or top-ups, at credentialed health facilities, emphasizing the threat these pose to the attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) dream of the country.
Chief Dauda Mahama further announced a collaboration between the NHIA and the National Identification Authority (NIA) to issue Ghanacards to children aged six to fourteen years nationwide. This initiative, slated to commence on June 3, 2024, aims to register, print and issue three million Ghanacards to the target age group, thereby bolstering NHIS membership and advancing the nation towards achieving UHC.
In his concluding remarks, chief Mahama expressed optimism for fruitful deliberations and a successful review, urging all participants to work collectively towards providing a better life for all citizens, especially the most vulnerable among them.
In his keynote address, Mr. Titus Sorey, the Director of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) for the Northern Belt, highlighted pressing issues facing the operations of the Authority.
During his address, Mr. Sorey emphasized the importance of community involvement in determining the legitimacy of healthcare facilities. He stressed the need for businesses to possess valid certificates and be assessed by relevant authorities before engaging with the NHIA.
Mr. Sorey clarified that facilities are individually credentialed by the NHIA and are not under the jurisdiction of district health management teams, highlighting the autonomy of facilities in managing their finances.
Addressing NHIA staff, Mr. Sorey urged them to be thoroughly prepared before conducting facility monitoring visits. He emphasized the consequences of inadequate preparation, warning that facilities may manipulate unprepared staff, undermining the credibility of the NHIA.
Drawing from a specific example in the Savannah region, Mr. Sorey recounted a visit to healthcare facilities where discrepancies were uncovered. Despite initial denials, the facilities eventually admitted to the charges brought against them, leading to discussions about potential consequences or reassignment of management.
Mr. Titus Sorey emphasized the importance of verifying the credentials of healthcare facilities before engaging with them. He urged NHIA staff to prioritize this step during monitoring visits to ensure the integrity of the Authority’s operations.
The NHIA achieved a 100% submission of claims electronically from all credentialed health providers, resulting in full implementation of Claim-It.
This initiative saved GHC21,293,016.59 by the end of 2023 from fulfillment and vetting adjustments for both manual and Claim-It processes. Additionally, five stakeholder engagements and capacity-building sessions were successfully conducted for a total of 1,413 participants from Tier 3 health providers across five regions with support from the World Bank.
Moreover, 414 stakeholders were engaged across the five regions of the North for upper-tier facilities. The NHIA also surpassed its target by carrying out 32 claims verification exercises at provider sites.
Furthermore, collaborative monitoring and engagement with service providers on unauthorized payments and other moral hazards affecting healthcare access were successfully conducted by CPC-ROs.
Source: Padfm.com.gh/Kumatey Gorden/0243531604
