Districts responded to NHIS than cities

Sekondi, Jan 11, GNA - Mr Abraham Odoom, the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said districts responded more positively and performed creditably in the registration and implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) than the Metropolitan and Municipalities.

He said the Eastern, Brong Ahafo and Upper East regions had successfully started providing benefits for persons registered with the NHIS.

Mr Odoom said these when a three-member delegation from the National Health Insurance Council (NHIC) paid a day's visit to the Western Region on Wednesday.

The delegation interacted with NHIS Scheme Managers, Public Relations Officers, District and Metropolitan Chief Executives on the problems and successes of the NHIS.

Other members of the delegation were Alhaji L. Mohammed Muniru, NHIS Focal Person of the Ministry of Health and Mrs Scholastica Mensah, a NHIC member.

He said as at December last year the Greater Accra, Central, Western, Volta, Ashanti, Northern and Upper West regions still had some schemes that were yet to commence the benefit package. Mr. Odoom however said that they would begin the claims management this month.

The Deputy Minister said out of the 123 NHIS established nationwide, 109 had successfully reached the claims management stage as at December last year.

He said 3,573,231 people representing 17.86 per cent of the population of Ghana had so far registered with the scheme. The scheme managers appealed to the NHIC to streamline the documentation procedure and ensure easy identification of registered members.

Mrs Scholastica Mensah, a member of the NHIC, assured the scheme managers that the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana was working hard to ensure that all districts had pharmacy shops. She said the NHIS drug list would be reviewed every six months to cater for lapses and other drugs that that would need replacement. 11 Jan 06