NHIS stakeholders meet to review prices of medicines

The NHIA last Friday concluded a three-day forum to review its Medicines List.

The forum meets annually to review and adjust prices of medicines the NHIA pays to service providers. This is to ensure that prices the NHIA pays for medicines on the NHIS Medicines List reflect market and economic realities.

The last time the NHIS reviewed its Medicines List was in August 2013.

The review meeting which brought together members from various healthcare provider stakeholder groups discussed prices of medicines using results from a survey carried out by NHIA and the WHO Health Action International methodology.

The NHIS Medicines List has about 548 different formulations and it is constructed from the Ghana Essential Medicines List.

A 10-man technical committee has been constituted to finalize the document in two weeks, taking note of all suggestions made at the stakeholder meeting and present their report to the NHIA Management and Board for onward delivery to the Honourable Minister of Health for approval.

Director of Research and Development at the NHIA, OB Acheampong, noted that “the NHIA spends about 50% of its total claims expenditure on medicines and the Scheme is working with stakeholders in the pharmaceutical supply chain to ensure quality medicines are accessible and affordable to NHIS subscribers.

Representatives from the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, Ghana National Drugs Program, Ghana Medical Association, Society of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners, Food and Drugs Authority, National Malaria Control Board and a host of other agencies and organizations participated in the meeting.