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The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has announced that more than 26 million Ghanaians have been enrolled onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) following the implementation of the Free Primary Healthcare (FPHC) policy.
That, the Authority said represented a national coverage rate of 76 per cent, which was part of efforts to support the successful implementation of the policy.
Delivering remarks on behalf of Dr Victor Asare Bampoe, the Chief Executive Officer of the NHIA, at the Upper East Regional launch of the policy, Mr Sebastian Alagpulinsa, the NHIA’s Director of Membership and Operations, said the authority remained fully committed to ensuring universal access to healthcare through expanded insurance coverage and sustainable healthcare financing.
He said the policy represents “a major breakthrough in healthcare delivery in this country.”
He explained that the FPHC policy aligned with Ghana’s pursuit of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), which focused on access to quality healthcare services, population coverage and financial protection.
“From our side as an authority, we seek to finance healthcare in this country, and we also have a mandate to ensure that citizens are enrolled onto the insurance scheme so that they can access healthcare,” he stated.
According to Mr Alagpulinsa, the authority was tasked by government to register uninsured Ghanaians following the launch of the policy and noted that the policy led to a nationwide enrolment campaign known as the “Storm” initiative.
“I am very proud to announce that as an authority, we have covered over 26 million of the population of this country. Current coverage is 76 percent, and that is quite massive,” he said.
He expressed confidence that Ghana would achieve the 80 percent population coverage target required for UHC before the end of the year, “There is every indication that by the fourth quarter, we will take Ghana to the UHC target in terms of population coverage,” he noted.
The NHIA official said the authority viewed the FPHC policy as a critical investment, stressing that early detection and treatment of diseases would reduce the long-term financial burden on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
“We are much interested in the early detection of disease conditions that, when not attended to, will create huge costs for the NHIS,” he said.
He acknowledged existing challenges within the NHIS, including concerns over tariffs and out-of-pocket payments by some insured clients at health facilities, but assured stakeholders that measures were being implemented to address them.
“Various issues have been raised concerning tariffs. We have reviewed the tariffs and are also working hard to ensure a new initiative called OTAC is implemented across the country so that claims data will be more credible and help sustain the National Health Insurance Fund,” he explained.
The NHIA also pledged to strengthen collaboration with development partners, healthcare providers, political and traditional leaders, and communities to ensure the success of the FPHC policy.
“We are committed to the concept. We are ready to strengthen our relationship with development partners, service providers, political leaders and traditional leaders to make sure the Free Primary Healthcare Policy becomes a success,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the initiative would improve access to healthcare for all Ghanaians and support the country’s drive towards achieving UHC under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama.
Source: GNA