The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Capitation system, could bring Ghana to the threshold of the doctor-house-call service, practiced in advanced countries.
Mr George Tasiame, Public Relations Officer of the NHIS Ho Municipal Scheme, gave the indication in an interview with the GNA, Monday, as staff in working teams, pitched camps at vantage points in Ho, for the biometric registration and renewal of clients’ cards.
He said the listing of clients at specific health facilities, is tantamount to having specialised care, as health professionals at a preferred facility, having seen a client a number of times, could offer better and quicker diagnoses.
Mr Tasiame said families lodging in one facility, would make disease tracking, drug prescription and health education much easier.
Capitation in health insurance is logging clients with a preferred health facility for a stated period of time for primary healthcare with referrals to specialist and tertiary facilities if the need arose.
Mr Tasiame said the Capitation is also bound to build competition among the facilities to raise quality of health delivery in the country.
“They, (facilities), will treat clients well to retain them…will not return half cured or uncured, to spend cash allotted the facilities in their names.
“Obviously a facility must also be client friendly, with a good quality assurance system, to hold on to clients,” he stated.
Mr Tasiame said Capitation has come to stop client “health shopping”- moving from facility to facility.
In the past months staff of the Ho Municipal Health Insurance Scheme has been working longer hours, 0600 hours to 2030 hours and beyond to handle the flood of clients visiting to register for biometric cards.
In the coming week they would be at the premises of the Volta Star radio station, the Paramount Chief’s palace and two other central locations in the municipality.
Mr Tasiame put numbers registered daily at 800 or more over, while a Rapid Response Team is on hand, to move to areas with high numbers of prospective clients.
He said the high numbers turning to get biometric cards could not be for cosmetic reasons and that despite statements bandied about disparaging the NHIS, members remain best insured against sickness.
Mr Tasiame said there are around 150, 000 active members of the scheme in Ho.
He said Scheme Managers keep “esprit-de-corps” among the relatively youthful staff, many of them national service persons and students on attachment, by offering them various packages.
Mr Tasiame said training for them, especially about comportment and client services normally begins on day one of work.
