NHIA asked to review NHIS tariffs

Mr Francis Tawiah, Administrator of the Nkoranza Saint Theresa’s Catholic Hospital, has suggested the need for the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to review upwards the tariffs of National Health Insurance Scheme(NHIS).

The upward review, he explained, would enable the service providers to meet the increasing cost of medicines and other health logistics across the country.

Mr Tawiah gave the suggestion during an address of the third quarter stakeholders review meeting of the Nkoranza Municipal Health Insurance Scheme, on the theme: “The New Biometric Registration, Challenges and the Way Forward,” on Monday at Nkoranza in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

He said the approval of the suggestion by government and NHIA would also enable service providers to provide quality health delivery services for the benefit of insured patients.

Mr Tawiah said the current cost of medicines, other health logistics and the servicing of equipment in the health facilities called for a review of the tariffs to enable the service providers to address the challenges.

He complained of delays in the re-imbursement of claims by the scheme, although powering of hospital generators with fuel in the event of power outages and other challenges confronting the health facilities require immediate government intervention to assist the service providers to address those problems.

Mr Kingsford Opoku Gyamfi, Manager of the Municipal Health Insurance Scheme announced that 83,667 people have currently registered as members.

Mr Gyamfi explained that the biometric registration exercise is eradicating identification cards’ backlog and the double registration of clients.

He added that means of registration is also assisting in the processing of accurate claims in terms of utilisation and payments while “preventing people from using their relatives and other scheme members’ identification cards to access health care from the facilities”.

Mr Doratus Achisiba, Nkoranza North District Director of Health Services disclosed that the service has ensured the provision of Community Health Planning Service Compounds at the health zones for the provision of health delivery service to rural folks at their doorsteps.