Govt urged to address challenges in NHIS

The African Women International (AWI), a non–governmental organisation (NGO), has appealed to the government to identify and remove the bottlenecks hindering the successful operation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Mrs Patience Hinson, Project Co-ordinator of AWI, which is championing the cause of women, in a statement noted that patients, especially women in deprived communities, were compelled to resort to self-medication because they lacked the money to pay for their hospital bills.

She said addressing challenges of the scheme would go a long way to drastically reduce maternal mortality to encourage patients, especially women, to feel free to visit the hospitals without coercion.

She therefore appealed to the government to ensure the early release of funds for the successful operation of the NHIS.

“Their hope is on NHIS and if the scheme is also not working successfully, then all would be lost for them,” she stated.

Mrs Hinson made the appeal after leading various women and youth groups on a march through some principal streets of the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis to mark the World Universal Healthcare Campaign Coverage Day declared by the United Nations, which fell on December 11.

She later presented a communiqué, which was received by the Deputy Western Regional Minister, Mr Alfred Ekow Gyan, at the Regional Co-ordinating Council, in Sekondi.

Mrs Hinson said the Universal Access to Healthcare Campaign, which was declared by the United Nations, aimed at ensuring that every person had access to quality health care and this must not be frustrated by petty issues.

She noted that despite the numerous successes chalked up by NHIS, it had its own challenges with the topmost being the late release of funds from the Ministry of Finance.