Government to restructure NHIS

Accra, March 5, GNA - The National Health Insurance Scheme is to be restructured to respond to the needs of the population and improve upon the issue of claims management.

This was contained in the 2009 budget which was presented to the Parliament on Thursday by Dr Kwabena Duffuor, the Finance minister who said this would involve networking all DHMIS to service providers and the National Health Insurance Authority.

This, among other things, will help to resolve the problem of portability to make it national in coverage. It will also pursue the policy on de-linking children from their parents and improve the registration and the provision of free maternal care.

He said government will commence work on the implementation of the one time payment of insurance premium under the Scheme, adding that, the actuarial analysis relating thereto will start in earnest.

The National Health Insurance Scheme has expanded coverage with almost 12,269,503 registered members by the end of 2008, representing 54 per cent of the population according to official sources.

Government, the Minister said had allocated GH¢921,929,472 for the implementation of the above activities and others to be undertaken by the Ministry of Health. Out of the amount government will provide GH¢344,398,438 IGF- GH¢108,312,030 Donor community, GH¢82,582,842, HIPC - GH¢11,427,000 and NHIF A2375,209,162.

As part of current strategy to control malaria, education and advocacy would be intensified to increase utilization of insecticide treated nets (ITNs) nationwide, indoor residual spraying and scale up the bio-larviciding projects to Central, Western and other Regions. Additionally, the Ministry will initiate a Mass Treatment pilot project in Greater Accra Region with the aim of eliminating malaria parasite from the defined population and establish the safety and efficacy of the method used. In furtherance to the health sector's policy of controlling malaria, the seven-year draft national strategic plan (2008-2015) currently under preparation will be completed for consideration by Government in 2009.

The Ministry will initiate a pilot project in Greater Accra Region with the aim of eradicating malaria parasites from the population. Furthermore, the Ministry will undertake collaborative programmes with its counterpart in Togo, Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso to tackle the control of malaria.

The Ministry will embark upon major multi-sector collaboration to improve sanitation and target safe food and water. Specifically, it will collaborate with the Ministries of Local Government & Rural Development, Education, Women & Children, Water Resources, Works & Housing and Food & Agriculture to develop relevant regulations and guidelines to ensure safety of food, water and sanitation.

The Ministry will complete work on the Mental Health, Tobacco, National Health Service and National Ambulance bills for consideration of Cabinet and subsequent passage by Parliament.

It would finalise and disseminate guidelines on gender mainstreaming in all health facilities. Gender sensitive case management protocols will also be developed.

A management team will be trained to handle gender dimensions of health service delivery. In addition, Police medical reports forms will be reviewed and standardised to facilitate data captured on domestic violence.

Maternal and neonatal health would be improved by increasing access to obstetric care in all health facilities to reduce maternal death. Key strategies include expansion of midwifery and nursing training institutions, deployment of qualified nurses and midwives, improvement in comprehensive abortion care services and monitoring the implementation of existing policy on free maternal deliveries. In the light of resurgence of some communicable diseases, the Ministry will, as a matter of urgency review the management of these diseases especially cholera, meningitis and yellow fever. To further strengthen the programme for modernizing health care and also improve access to quality health care, the Ministry will rehabilitate all Health facilities destroyed by floods in the Northern Region.

In addition, 21 Health Centres would be constructed and four existing ones equipped and upgraded to District Hospitals. The health centres are at Essiam, Ajumako, Zabzugu and Galo-Sota. Moreover, the first phase of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital will be completed, feasibility studies for the development of a specialized Maternity and Children's Hospital at Ridge will be undertaken.

Similarly, offices for the Food and Drugs Board, Nurses and Midwives Council would be completed and the expansion works on training schools at Keta, Bolgatanga, Berekum, Oda, Tamale, Teshie, Sefwi Wiawso and Agogo will also be carried out.