NHIA bent on total quality management procedures

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is bent on total quality management procedures, where staff, along with management, would be seen to be working in tandem.

Mr Sylvester Mensah, NHIA Chief Executive, stated this in a speech read for him at a durbar in Ho on Monday for staff of the Health Insurance Schemes in the Volta Region.

He said the durbar was in the spirit of the Management Retreat earlier on in the year, at which, developmental blueprints of the Authority were discussed.

Mr Mensah said the durbars being held in all regions were therefore idea-inlets into a pool to guide management.

He said management was intent on improving efficiency to reduce leakages and expected that progress would be made in the programmed restructuring of the schemes and the regional offices of the NHIA.

Mr Ahmed Imoro, Director of Finance who read Mr Mensah’s speech said the regional forums were considered useful encounters.

He said cost cutting as demonstrated in the Management Retreat, on account of it being non-residential, gave indications about directions things would go.

Selorm Adonoo, Communications Manager, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the forum was expected to have a feel of workers’ concerns and aspirations.

He said arrangements for the implementation of capitation in the region had reached an advanced stage.

Mr Adonoo said there would also be discussions on biometric registration and updates on e-claims.

He said the NHIA intended to avoid the furore that characterized the introduction of capitation in the Ashanti Region, when it got underway in the other regions.

Mr Elliot Nestor Akototse, Volta Regional Manager of NHIA, said all service providers in the region had been paid their claims for 2013, and that the process to start paying 2014 claims was on.

He said it was, therefore, not true that service providers were withholding services for not being paid.

Mr Akototse said with the release of a new drug list soon, the problem of differences of cost of drugs being demanded by Pharmacists would be over.