NHIS has made significant impact — President Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has acknowledged that the National Health Insurance Scheme has made a significant positive impact on the country's health care delivery system.

"I am, therefore, going to make sure that the scheme does not collapse under my presidency, indeed it's not collapsing, it's giving more service than ever before", he said.

President Mahama made this acknowledgement when he was interviewed on the GBC local FM station in Sunyani, Radio BAR, as part of his three-day tour of the Brong Ahafo Region.

He said the net effect of the implementation of the NHIS was the country had advanced in the United Nation's human development index.

President Mahama said that currently Ghana was second only to Cape Verde in terms of access to health care and the rate of reduction of maternal mortality and infant mortality, under five deaths, among others, as a result of implementation of the NHIS.

NHIS not collapsing

He spoke on the NHIS against the backdrop of non-payment of arrears of claims submitted by the service providers over a period of 10 months which had resulted in some of the health facilities reverting to the cash and carry system.

President Mahama explained that the government had set up a committee to restructure the scheme adding that an actuarial study conducted sometime ago indicated that the scheme would collapse if a new sources of financing was not identified.

He said since then no new source of financing had been found even though the scheme had kept labouring on indicating that "government is up to date with its payment to the scheme".

"Government is up to date with its payment so it is not the fault of the government, you can ask authorities of the NHIA", he said explaining that the government was supposed to owe the scheme one-quarter.

He said it was the structure of the scheme that had made it seem as though the government owed it"and that is why we are restructuring the scheme".

Expansion of scope

President Mahama said in 2005 total outpatient utilisation of the scheme was 597,000 which rose to 29.6 million visits in 2014.

Besides, claims payment in 2005 amounted GH¢7.6 million cedes and rose to GH¢1.07 billon in 2014 and explained that the figures showed the magnitude of expansion of the scheme over the years.

He said the restriction would therefore ensure efficiency, eliminate fraud and fast track capitation system to help reduce the amount of money spent on the scheme.

"We are working hard to make the NHIS efficient in order to serve more people but it is the rate at which it has grown over the period".

President Mahama said the NHIA had been asked to avoid overspending on capital expenditure and put more money into the settling of claims.

Recruitment of Nurses

On the employment of trained nurses, President Mahama said the government was in the process of employing nurses trained by institutions under the Ministry of Health.

He said the health facilities being constructed is ensuring that more of these nurses were employed.

President Mahama said however that the problem had arisen because even nurses who were trained by private institutions to serve private hospitals were agitating to be employed by the Ministry of Health because of better remuneration.

"They have been picketing at the entrance of the FlagStaff House and I see them when I am going to the office. I have asked the Ministry of Health to fast track their employment", he assured.

Writer's email: nanadu63@gmail.com