NHIS law to be reviewed next year

Accra, Dec. 22, GNA - The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) will from next year embark on a review of the law establishing the District Mutual Health Insurance Schemes (DMHIS) to make them interconnected and accountable to the Authority.

The move is to scrap the independence of the 145 DMHIS and give the NHIA the overall authority to control and regulate the activities of the DMHIS to ensure effective administration.

Mr. Sylvester Mensah, Chief Executive of the NHIA, was addressing the end-of-year durbar organized for the Head Office and Greater Accra Regional staff in Accra on Tuesday.

The durbar was to brief the staff on the new changes that had taken place within the structures of the Authority as well as inform them on the areas that it would be focusing on in the coming year. Mr. Mensah said currently, the law made the DMHIS to operate as unitary institutions and they only took money from the NHIA to pay claims to providers, a situation which made them to sometimes disrespect directives and suggestions of the Authority.

He said sometimes some even tried to institute legal actions against the Authority and thereby hampered its operations; it is the reason why it would review the laws to ensure effective and smooth administration of the scheme.

On the developments that had taken place, Mr. Mensah said for the first time in its five years of existence, the Authority had recruited accountants to help in the management of funds at DMHIS and to conduct periodic audits to prevent malfeasance.

Mr. Mensah said the Authority was also computerizing the operations of the DMHIS to enable it to effectively monitor them for enhanced delivery. He said the Authority created new divisions, strengthened capacity of staff and established as well as furnished regional and district offices to facilitate smooth operations of the scheme.

Mr. Mensah instructed that with the provision of the fully furnished regional and district offices, the DMHIS must stop the current practice where 20 per cent of funds meant for service providers was used on administrative purposes.

He assured staff of plans and opportunities to enable them to enhance their careers. Mr. Mensah also assured the public and the service providers of enhanced operations in the coming year.