Wenchi : NHIA MANAGER CALLS FOR REVIEW OF NHIA PREMIUM

 District Manager of the National Health Insurance Authority t Wenchi in the Bono Region, Mr. Nuredeen Adjansona is calling for the review of NHIA premium to ensure that all the medicines we want to be covered by NHIA can bring on board.

Mr. Adjansona made the call on Thursday, February 24, 2022, during the Authority's 2021 annual performance review meeting.
" Let's think how to review the premium that people are paying the premium that when you come they ask you to pay GH¢ 17.00 "
He is wondering health insurance is about 17 years and we are still paying that same premium for GH¢ 17.00.
Furthermore,,, he said people are complaining that certain drugs are not covered so when they change the premium or review reviewed he believes that the drugs that people are complaining that they're not covered, we can involve those drugs.
According to him, just last year childhood cancer treatment was added so when it was added there is the need for us also to review the premium small.
He added that people will say it's too much but he knows for political reasons people may not want to hear this but it is something that we have to do, it can not continue like that.
If you were a child 17 years by now you would have been in secondary school so if they ask 17 years boy or girl to go to primary school I know the person would not want to do that he or she may feel shy so in the line, by now we should be feeling shy of paying that GH¢ 17.00 Mr. Nuredeen Adjansona explained.
He wants broader consultative meetings between the government and the major stakeholders to educate the general public to know that there is a need for us to review this premium so that all the medicines we think should cover in NHIA then we can bring all those medicines on board.
In addition, he said if you check the money that the government is paying 70 percent of the bills that the providers brought to NHIA, 5 percent is for a registration fee that they collect from the people, so just 5 percent that can not solve the problem.
So if we educate the public, the chiefs, Assembly members, the media, of course, health insurance if we come together and the commitment from the government I believe that we can do it to ensure that all the medicines we want to be part of NHIA and they can be part he concluded.
He finally highlighted some challenges facing the Wenchi office of the National Health Insurance Authority

Among the challenges are Co-payment at some facilities,
Network challenges,
Inadequate printers for community registration,
Outdoor Public Address System and furniture for fieldwork 2003 the Government of Ghana launched the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to enable Ghanaians to have access to health services at the point of care without financial difficulty. 

However, the system has faced several challenges hence the need to review the premium to help solve the challenges.

Source: Nana Anfreh Damanata.