Farmer grateful to Kufuor for rolling out NHIS

A 52-year old peasant farmer at Kpedzegblo near Adidome in the Volta Region, Mr. Godson Aho, has commended former President J.A. Kufuor and President John Dramani Mahama for the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and sustaining it over the years.

According to Mr. Aho, politicians normally abandon projects or programmes initiated by their predecessors, but that has not happened under President Mahama, especially, regarding the implementation of the NHIS.

He noted that but for the NHIS he wouldn’t have known how he and his family would have survived the hash economic conditions.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Chronicle at Adidome, Mr. Aho said it saddened him anytime he hears that the NHIS was collapsing at a time when the less privileged in society like him appreciate and cherished the scheme so much.

He commended the staff and management of the NHIS at Adidome, the district capital of the Central Tongu District, for their professional competence. He called on all stakeholders of the scheme to be committed to the sustenance of the NHIS to serve the people, particularly, the poor in society.

The Central Tongu District Manager of the NHIS, Mr. Jonathan Tsewor, who is also responsible for North Tongu, said the management of the NHIS had embarked upon a vigorous public education to create awareness on the importance of the capitation.

Mr. Tsewor disclosed that since the introduction of capitation in the Volta Region last year, over 38,000 people have been registered under the concept.

He noted that capitation would go a long way to help address such problems as lack of money from service providers, since money would be provided in advance.

He continued that the problem where valid NHIS card holders engaged in what he described as “provider shopping” – moving from one health facility to the other in search of quality service – would be a thing of the past, because valid card holders, under capitation, would have to select only one health facility.

“You see, capitation has come to promote quality health service to patients under the scheme, because hospital managements would do well to provide the best service to their clients.

The number of clients that attend a health facility would determine how much money the facility would get,” he stressed.

Mr. Tsewor also noted that the introduction of capitation would enable the scheme management to save money, because the practice, where card holders move from one health facility to the other, which was a cost to the management, would stop with the selection of one facility under capitation.

He appealed to organisations to provide the needed assistance to the NHIS, by helping the scheme offices with logistics such as vehicles to aid educational activities, because the scheme did not have enough vehicles to carry out public education.

Mr. Tsewor also appealed to politicians to help the scheme by registering the less privileged in society, as well as influence people who might not register, not because they did not have money, but were just adamant to register.

He said the staff of the scheme were committed to ensuring that they work hard to meet the expectations of the people, and appealed to valid card holders of the NHIS to observe the rules and regulations that govern the scheme.