The NHIA and World Bank team
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is set to receive a significant financial boost of $27.7 million from the World Bank Group to enhance the scheme’s finances and support various healthcare initiatives.
The funding, which will be disbursed over a four-year period from 2022 to 2025, is aimed at increasing the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) membership, facilitating claims processing and payments for primary healthcare providers, and improving overall healthcare services.
The programme, known as the Primary Health Care Improvement Programme for Results (PforR), will be implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, and the Health Facility Regulatory Authority.
One of the key goals of the programme is to increase the enrollment of vulnerable populations, such as the disabled, orphans, widows, women, and children, in the NHIS. This will be achieved through collaboration with the Social Protection Directorate of the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, as well as the National Household Registry.
The NHIA’s leadership also aims to strengthen the NHIS and work towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Ghana.
As part of this effort, the NHIA Chief Executive, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, and other officials have completed a national tour of all 16 regions in the country to connect with staff and discuss strategies for improving the NHIS.
To make the NHIS more accessible to all Ghanaians, the leadership plans to open more offices in strategic locations across the country.
Recently, several new offices were commissioned, including regional offices in Western North, Bono East, and Ahafo regions. Additionally, operational vehicles were provided to various municipalities and districts.
The NHIA is also embracing digitalisation to improve efficiency.
The introduction of the MyNHIS App allows individuals and groups to register, renew, and link their NHIS membership using their Ghana Cards, without the need to visit NHIS district offices. The app also enables secure mobile payments for registration and membership renewal fees.
Furthermore, the NHIA is striving for nearly 100 percent electronic claims management by the end of 2023.
This will significantly reduce processing time and ensure efficient use of available resources. The introduction of electronic claims processing has already resulted in improved efficiency, with processing time decreasing from months to one to seven days.
The NHIA’s efforts have received support from various development partners, including the World Bank Group, World Health Organisation, the United States Agency for International Development, and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, among others. Foreign delegations have also visited the NHIA to study the NHIS operations, highlighting its success as a social protection model in Africa.
The financial support from the World Bank Group is a crucial step towards achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2030 and improving access to quality and affordable healthcare services for all Ghanaians.
By Vincent Kubi