Bono East: Pru NHIS inaugurates operation co-payment taskforce to curb healthcare irregularities

The Pru District office of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in the Bono East Region has inaugurated a co-payment task force to address the issues relating to illegal practices engaged by healthcare facilities in the area.

 The forming of the task force according to Mr Ahmed Tamimu, the District’s Manager is part of measures to curb illegal payment of fee by their clients to enable them access health care despite having the NHIA card. The fraudulent practice compels NHIA members to pay for either cost of medicines or services or both at the time of receiving healthcare which is already covered under the scheme.

The District Manager urged healthcare facilities to be guided by the NHIS tariff operational manual and reiterating that the practice is contrary to section 24(1) of NHIS ACT 852, 2012 that states "each Healthcare Provider under the Scheme shall comply with the medicines list and medicines tariff and service list and tariff.

The practice he added is impeding the purpose of NHIS and could reintroduce the cash and carry system back in the healthcare system if not addressed. 

The District Manager Mr Ahmed Tamimu, in his address, reminded all stakeholders including the Healthcare Facilities that the main objective of introducing the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) as a social intervention policy was to ensure the attainment of universal health coverage of financial risk protection against the cost of quality basic healthcare for all citizens in Ghana.

This he said is according to the passage of the ACT 2003 (650) which was repealed and replaced by a new law (ACT 852) in 2012. 

The NHIS covers and pays for the cost of some medicines and services in its benefits package provided by all of its partners.

Mr Ahmed Tamimu implored members of the scheme to demand receipt on payments to aid their investigation.