New tariff and medicine list introduced

Suhum, May 9, GNA- Mr Ras Boateng, Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), on Friday said the Authority has introduced a new tariff and medicines list since last month. He said "the new medicine list is quite comprehensive as it includes essential drugs that may be needed by insured clients."

Mr Boateng said these in a speech read on his behalf at the second Annual General Meeting of the Suhum Kraboa Coaltar District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme at Suhum.

He said the new tariff was based on diagnostic related groupings of diseases as opposed to the previous system where bills were itemized. Mr Boateng said the NHIA would ensure that all district schemes and accredited health facilities in the country were networked so that information on health providers and schemes could be accessed electronically.

He said it was envisaged that claims submitted by providers could be vetted electronically adding "This will in the long run reduce delay in processing claims."

Mr Boateng said the NHIA had launched a new National Health Insurance (NHIS) Identity (ID) card to be use by all insured members across the country to make it possible for card bearing members to access health care anywhere.

He explained that for a start, some districts including New Juaben, Manya Krobo and Asuogyaman, all in the Eastern Region had been selected as pilot districts.

Mr Felix Duah, district scheme manager, in a report said to date the scheme had registered 85,261 people.

He said a total of 83,499 attendances were recorded last year and a total bill of 760,112 Ghana cedis were paid in respect of services provided and drugs dispensed to clients.

Mr Duah commended Fredrick Opare Ansah, Member of Parliament for Suhum, for assisting over 300 people to register with the scheme and entreated all well-endowed persons in the area to support poor and vulnerable people to join the scheme.

He mentioned inadequate office accommodation, staffing and logistics as some of the challenges facing the scheme. Mr Kofi Mensah, Suhum Kraboa Coaltar District Chief Executive, expressed worry about reported cases of some card bearing members attending hospitals to collect drugs on behalf of their sick relatives who were not members of the scheme.

He appealed to offenders to stop the practice and said apart from endangering the lives of the people, it could also run down the scheme.