Accra, July 29, GNA - Dr Kwaku Afriyie, Minister of Health, on Tuesday said all diseases, including chronic conditions and the provision of specialised health care services, would be covered under the proposed national health insurance scheme.
This, he explained, was contrary to some concerns that debilitating conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes and other chronic conditions, which are expensive to manage, would not be part of the benefit packages of subscribers.
The Health Minister said communities would be able to decide which diseases should be covered in the scheme based on their peculiar situation.
Dr Afriyie was answering questions during an interaction with Journalists after a press briefing on the National Health Insurance Scheme in Accra.
During the meeting, the Health Minister said the government was supporting the establishment of District-Wide Mutual Health Insurance Schemes.
However, provision has been made to allow those who wish to have additional benefits to set up mutual health organizations, described as private mutual scheme.
Dr Afriyie said the press briefing was called to clarify "certain misconceptions put in the public domain," adding that Parliament had consented to the views expressed by a section of the public to hasten slowly in passing the Bill on the health insurance placed before it in July.
He said Parliament had, therefore, extended the consideration stage of the passage of the Bill.
He said a district-wide private mutual and private commercial health schemes were to operate in the country.
He said the district-wide health insurance scheme, being supported by the government, had been designed to capture all persons in both the formal and non-formal sectors.
The formal sector workers would contribute 2.5 per cent out of their SSNIT contribution, and this is expected to bring in a total of 170 billion cedis annually.
Dr Afriyie said the informal sector would contribute 24,000 cedis per head annually, while the 2.5 per cent contribution of the subscribers from the formal sector would take care of the contributor and four other dependants.
He said under the district-wide scheme, it was possible for someone belonging to a particular scheme in one district to access health care in another district other than the one he/she was normally resident in. This, Dr Afriyie said, was possible because the districts would be networked and, therefore, districts could reimburse one another for health care cost incurred on behalf of their respective subscribers.
The Health Minister said the government would also set up a National Health Insurance Fund through a levy of 2.5 per cent on specified commercial transactions and expenditures to cater for the poor and vulnerable as well as serve as risk equalization and reinsurance fund. He said National Health Insurance Council to be established by government would regulate all health insurance schemes that would operate in the country.
"It is a statutory body and will be independent of the Ministry of Health although it will be reporting through the Minister of Health." Dr Afriyie outdoored a prototype ambulance vehicle and said the Ministry would be liaising with the Ghana National Fire Service to run the ambulance service throughout the country. The health insurance scheme is being designed against the backdrop of the overall approach to health care financing. Currently the government funds 80 per cent of public health services bill through general taxation and donor funds. The remaining 20 per cent is got from the Cash and Carry system. The health insurance scheme is, therefore, expected to rake in at least 20 per cent of the health bill.
Accra, July 29, GNA - Dr Kwaku Afriyie, Minister of Health, on Tuesday said all diseases, including chronic conditions and the provision of specialised health care services, would be covered under the proposed national health insurance scheme.
This, he explained, was contrary to some concerns that debilitating conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes and other chronic conditions, which are expensive to manage, would not be part of the benefit packages of subscribers.
The Health Minister said communities would be able to decide which diseases should be covered in the scheme based on their peculiar situation.
Dr Afriyie was answering questions during an interaction with Journalists after a press briefing on the National Health Insurance Scheme in Accra.
During the meeting, the Health Minister said the government was supporting the establishment of District-Wide Mutual Health Insurance Schemes.
However, provision has been made to allow those who wish to have additional benefits to set up mutual health organizations, described as private mutual scheme.
Dr Afriyie said the press briefing was called to clarify "certain misconceptions put in the public domain," adding that Parliament had consented to the views expressed by a section of the public to hasten slowly in passing the Bill on the health insurance placed before it in July.
He said Parliament had, therefore, extended the consideration stage of the passage of the Bill.
He said a district-wide private mutual and private commercial health schemes were to operate in the country.
He said the district-wide health insurance scheme, being supported by the government, had been designed to capture all persons in both the formal and non-formal sectors.
The formal sector workers would contribute 2.5 per cent out of their SSNIT contribution, and this is expected to bring in a total of 170 billion cedis annually.
Dr Afriyie said the informal sector would contribute 24,000 cedis per head annually, while the 2.5 per cent contribution of the subscribers from the formal sector would take care of the contributor and four other dependants.
He said under the district-wide scheme, it was possible for someone belonging to a particular scheme in one district to access health care in another district other than the one he/she was normally resident in. This, Dr Afriyie said, was possible because the districts would be networked and, therefore, districts could reimburse one another for health care cost incurred on behalf of their respective subscribers.
The Health Minister said the government would also set up a National Health Insurance Fund through a levy of 2.5 per cent on specified commercial transactions and expenditures to cater for the poor and vulnerable as well as serve as risk equalization and reinsurance fund. He said National Health Insurance Council to be established by government would regulate all health insurance schemes that would operate in the country.
"It is a statutory body and will be independent of the Ministry of Health although it will be reporting through the Minister of Health." Dr Afriyie outdoored a prototype ambulance vehicle and said the Ministry would be liaising with the Ghana National Fire Service to run the ambulance service throughout the country. The health insurance scheme is being designed against the backdrop of the overall approach to health care financing. Currently the government funds 80 per cent of public health services bill through general taxation and donor funds. The remaining 20 per cent is got from the Cash and Carry system. The health insurance scheme is, therefore, expected to rake in at least 20 per cent of the health bill.
