‘Prioritise Retooling of NHIS’-Gov’t urged

Dignitaries at the Conference

To ensure equity in health care coverage, and safeguard access to healthcare services as well as financial risk protection against the cost of quality healthcare, Government has been entreated to prioritise the retooling of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Most Rev. Philip Naameh, Metropolitan Archbishop of Tamale, and President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC), recently said that “in its present state, the NHIS needs to be strengthened to enable it to respond to the needs and demands of patients, public and service providers”.

The Archbishop made the appeal at the 52^nd Annual Conference of the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) in Tamale recently, under the theme: Ghana’s Journey towards Universal Health Coverage: The Role of CHAG. 

By strengthening the NHIS, the Archbishop argued that it will enable the National Health Authority to fulfill its legitimate obligations to Service Providers on time, in terms of prompt reimbursements and payment of economic tariff structure, which would serve as an enabler and co-driver to the attainment of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Ghana.

The Archbishop said “the UHC journey is only possible when dedicated health professionals imbibe the missionary spirit to serve needy populations in unreached segments of the society,” and urged Service Providers to ensure efficient service provision that champions the Culture of Health and promote a supportive environment.

Mr. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Minister for Health, said in spite of Ghana health system having infrastructure, primary health care, and financial protection, we still have “massive problematic inefficiencies” in the health system that needs to be addressed.

To this end, he said the Ministry of Health is in the process of outdooring a road map to improve health care delivery and the attainment of the Universal Health Coverage by 2030, and invited CHAG to also make inputs into the roadmap.

He said plans were afoot to put in checks and also clean the system of inefficiency in the NHIS so that it offers the best to the public.

Similarly, Dr. Lydia Dsane-Selby, CEO of National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), in a keynote address stated that UHC is a global phenomenon and Ghana is making a bid to be the first sub-Saharan African country to achieve UHC especially with its domestic resources.

She observed that the NHIA and the Ministry of Finance have done an extensive reconciliation and were paying outstanding claims to the health facilities up to December 2018.

Dr. Dsane-Selby further noted that her outfit has also started clearing the arrears from January 2019 and possibly to March 2019, adding that payments would be regular from there in a bid to catch up. “We hope that this will curtail the phenomenon of co-payments which has crept in defeating the purpose of NHIS and Universal Health Coverage” she stressed.

Presenting his report, Mr. Peter K. Yeboah, Executive Director of CHAG, the network has “with barely 7.5 % of health infrastructure in Ghana, in 2018, contributed 32.1% of national in-patient care/admissions and 22.0% of national OPD services”.

Peter K. Yeboah

To ensure Quality Improvement Initiatives, he noted that CHAG would scale up the WHO Quality of Care Patient Safety Initiative in CHAG facilities and support PharmAccess and other partners to embark on comprehensive quality improvement programme for the entire network. 

He said in its bid to offer the urban poor and needy access to healthcare, some Churches have been establishing healthcare facilities in needy urban environments, adding that the intent is not to duplicate but fill gaps and overlaps in access to quality service provision and to complement government journey towards UHC.

The Executive Director, noting the need for CHAG to reposition itself as a reliable partner in the movement towards making UHC a reality in Ghana by 2030, called on member facilities to work together with a refocused passion that reflects the needs of our clients, and a renewed presence and visual identity to lead the national and international stage, backed by a rejuvenated purpose to “inspire our clients, our staff and the community to push for more”.

CHAG supports St. Monica's Clinic

*Mr. Yeboah presenting the presenting the item to Fr. Adarkwah

The Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), has made a presentation to the St. Monica Clinic & Maternity at Aakyem-Sekyere in the Koforidua Diocese, to facilitate healthcare delivery in the area.

Among the items donated were a motorbike, a public address system, boxes of facemasks, practical guide book and Educational Materials on mental health.

The Executive Director for CHAG, Mr. Peter K. Yeboah, said the donation with funding from UKAID, was to help in the delivery of mental health services in the catchment area.

He noted that CHAG has over the past five years been promoting awareness on mental health in the country, and commended efforts by personals at the Clinic in championing mental health service.

Madam Serwah. 

Expressing worry about the 98% treatment gap of mental health illness in the country, Mr. Yeboah called for increased awareness on mental health disease, more access to mental health services, and a reduction in the stigma attached to mental health patients.

The Senior Physician Assistant at the St. Monica Clinic, Afua Serwaah Bonsu, who jointly received the items with Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Adarkwah, Chaplain of the Holy Family Hospital at Nkawkaw, thanked the Executive Director for honouring his promise to support the facility.

She said the items which came handy, would go a long way to help in health delivery, especially in the area of mental health service, adding that the support has boosted their moral to work hard.

Similarly, Fr. Adarkwah who blessed the items, thanked CHAG for the support. 

Madam Eunice Aidoo, Acting District Coordinator for Mental Health, observed that schizophrenia and epilepsy were prevalent in the area, and entreated families and the society to provide social support to persons with mental illness.