We've achieved 50% active membership enrollment in 2021 - S/R NHIA Director

We've achieved 50% active membership enrollment in 2021 - S/R NHIA Director

The Savannah regional manager of the National health insurance Authority, Mr. Dauda Mahama has disclosed that, the savannah  region has achieved a 50% active membership enrollment in the year under review stating that, the region had a projected population of 653,266 to have been covered out of which a total of 329,445 was achieved presenting the 50% achievement.

Mr. Daudu Mahama made this known during the 2021 annual performance review meeting held on Thursday 10th March, 2022 at Damongo in the savannah regional capital. The exercise which is a routine activity on the calendar of the National Health insurance Authority where operational activities regarding memberships of all categories among others are peer reviewed with District Managers and staff.

In a brief welcome address, the regional manager, Mr. Daudu Mahama admonished all District Managers and staff to accept criticism of any sort especially in their  service delivery and see the critics as the basis for improvement towards the theme which is "sustaining the gains for universal health coverage".

He explained that, the savannah region had a projected population of 653,266 out of which 329,445 active membership was achieved at the ending of the period 2021 representing 50% of their set target.

On mobile renewals, Mr Daudu Mahama revealed that, a total of 224,146 target population was allocated to the region of which the region was able to meet a total of 114,731 representing 51%.

He outlined some challenges being faced by the Authority in the region stating that, illegal payments from service providers, NHIS members waiting to be sick before the renew their membership, poor network connectivity in some communities, service providers not renewing their credentials on time, the difficulty in merging members NHIS cards with the Ghana card due to personal Data mismatch among others as some of the challenges crippling their operations.

Mr. Daudu Mahama however reminder the District managers and staff of the NHIA of some of the innovations of the Authority that are critical in their quest to achieve Universal health coverage ( UHC ) such as the mobile renewal system, their online credential portal for providers and linking the NHIS card with the NIA card by dial *929# to get their cards merged to be able to access health care  and that, by 30th June, 2022, SSNIT will only transact business with those who have linked their Ghana cards.

The claims processing centre Manager in charge of the Northern regions, Mr Isaac Akonde in an interview with this source on co - payments and illegal payments by health care providers explained that, irrespective of the reason, "an illegality is an illegality not withstanding how much one can justify it"  and that, every service provider has a service fact that the have signed with the NHIS to provide a certain set of services to it's members where the NHIS will intend reimburse them for those services rendered. 

Mr. Akonde added that, any service provider who has a reason why their services rendered to clients are not matching with the cost of providing those services should engage the National health insurance scheme and not to ask for money from the poor clients for which reason the NHIS exist.

The claims processing centre manager reteraited that, it is illegal to demand for money from its members because once the services are covered by the national health insurance scheme, service deliveries are suppose to be free for the members of the NHIS and any reason why the provider thinks that the need extra money or need certain services that the think are expensive than what the NHIS is paying, there is an avenue to engage them than transferring the cost to the poor patient who are usually very vulnerable.

He noted that, most of the services the NHIS is rendering is for the core poor most of whom struggle to even get transport to the facilities only to be asked to pay things most of which are covered by the NHIS because the patients are vulnerable and are unable to challenge the health care provider end up socuming to some of those things.

Mr. Akonde further explained that, some of the service providers complaint of delays in paying their claims, a reason the sometimes had to charge clients for the services rendered and however noted that, the situation is at the heart of the Authority and has come to the notice of the executive management who are doing alot to curbe it by ensuring that claims are duly paid on time and that, the Authority has a way of dealing with service providers found culpable of the act.

Kumatey Gorden

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