A group photograph of the stakeholders
The Paramount Chief of the Tugla Traditional Area, Tugla Naa Andani Mohammed, has called on the government to increase the funding for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to ensure its sustainability.
He observed that currently the financial support for the NHIS is woefully inadequate.
He made this call at the Northern Regional Public Stakeholder Forum organised by the Ministry of Information in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in Tamale.
The purpose of the meeting was to create a platform for stakeholders to discuss and find solutions to the financial challenges facing the NHIS.
Addressing participants at the programme, Tugla Naa Andani Mohammed, who was the chair for the occasion, declared his support for any proposal that calls for an increase in funding and appealed to the government to make it a priority in resolving the financial problems facing the scheme.
The chief said: “It will be suicidal to supervise the death of the NHIS. Let’s ensure that we never return to ‘cash and carry’. All of us as citizens of this country, regardless of our political affiliation, should support the scheme to grow. It is proper for all Ghanaians to prioritise health as the most important thing. Let’s all ensure its survival.”
“It is critical that leaders of organised labour be brought on board and be convinced to support the NHIA reforms fully. We should all be ambassadors of the scheme and see it grow,” he added.
On his part, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NHIA, Dr Samuel Annor, called on all major stakeholders to support NHIA’s proposals to increase funding for the scheme, which includes an increase in the VAT component of the NHIL from its current 2.5% to 3.5%. He also suggested levy on sugar, alcohol, tobacco to fund the scheme and an allocation of the oil revenue into the NHIF to enable it to become financially sustainable to run efficiently.
The NHIS team later extended their visit to the Gulkpe Traditional Council where they were received by the Gulkpe Naa Alhassan Abdulai, Paramount Chief of the Gulkpe, to court his support for the campaign of finding financial solutions to the scheme. The Gulkpe Naa was appreciative of the visit and gave assurance of the support of his people in ensuring that the NHIS scheme remains sustainable.