NHIA provides clarification on its GHC250,000 donation to Relief Fund

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) says its donation of GHC250,000, to the COVID-19 Relief Fund is consistent with the goal of facilitating access to health care services.

It made reference to the National Health Insurance ACT, 2012 (ACT 852), Section 40, which details the object of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) - to facilitate the provision of or access to health care services and to invest in any other facilitating programme to promote access to health service.

This was contained in a press statement, issued by the Corporate Affairs Directorate of the Authority, to provide clarification and remove any confusion over why it should make a contribution to the Fund.

The NHIS, it explained, was set up as a solidarity system to make public healthcare affordable, adding that, public healthcare support included payments for vaccines, immunization, and malaria prevention amongst others.

“In light of this, it was deemed appropriate to support Covid-19 efforts by the government. This does not, in any way, relegate the payment of claims to the background.”

The statement said the amount donated to the Fund, though significant, represented less than five per cent of the entire Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Budget for 2020.

“Indeed, it is equivalent to 0.06% of funds paid in claims this year, which amounts to approximately GHC400 million to healthcare providers as claims re-imbursement.

“The ability to control the Covid-19 pandemic within the country would eventually protect the NHIF in terms of reduced claims from service providers.



“In advanced countries where Universal Health Coverage is achieved, the equivalent of the National Health Service (NHS) as pertains for the UK or PhilHealth for the Philippines will cover all expenses for Covid-19 related treatments albeit with additional emergency funding from government.”

The statement added that the donation was the “NHIS way of demonstrating good corporate citizenship by supporting government initiatives that will provide health education, prevention and enhancement of health infrastructure to fight this unseen enemy”.

It gave assurance to the public and service providers that membership and claims payment remained its core function.