National Health Insurance Authority Board inaugurated

Accra, June 15, GNA - The Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa Adja Yankey, on Monday gave the Board of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) a 10-day ultimatum to review the National Insurance Act, 2003 (Act 650) to rectify identified anomalies. He said the reviewed Act would be submitted to Cabinet to be forwarded to Parliament for approval.

Inaugurating the 17-member Board of the Authority in Accra, Dr Yankey said the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was faced with a series of challenges that needed to be addressed to have a sound and robust scheme.

The Board has Mr Doe Adjaho, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, a lawyer by profession, as the Chairman. He listed some of the problems facing the scheme as inflated claims from service providers, delay in payment of claims to service providers, delay in the issuance of membership cards to paid-up clients and demands for payment of services by some service providers for services not rendered.

The Health Minister explained that there were 145 mutual schemes with each having a 15-member board, replicating the same process of work, which could have been done at the regional level. This, he said, has led to inefficiency in work and urged the Board to investigate and suggest ways to streamline the activities of these mutual schemes.

"Until these are solved, the scheme will continue to have problems and we will not be able to deliver the quality health care to our people," he added.

Dr Yankey cautioned that service providers who had been inflating their claims for services not rendered would be smoked out and prosecuted when caught.

He said government was committed to equity and quality health care and had identified the NHIS as the only way and "we will no spare anyone who will act as an impediment in our way". Dr Yankey reiterated the possibility of one-time premium payment and explained that work on it hade been finalised and would soon be announced to the general public. Mr Adjaho expressed the gratitude of the board members for their appointment and assured Ghanaians that they would not politicise the health care of people.

He noted that the board was made up of seasoned people with various expertise and skills which working in collaboration with the Ministry would result in quality result. The Board members swore the oath of membership and secrecy. The Board has three members as government appointees with the rest being representatives from consumers, Trades Union Congress, Ghana Health Service, National Insurance Commission, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Society of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners, SSNIT, Pharmaceutical Society and Mutual Health Insurance Scheme. 15 June 09