Michael Boateng Sunyani
2 December 2008
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sunyani Municipal Health Insurance, Nana Sarbeng Ababio, has called on the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to take a critical look at the new tariff structure, and possibly review it downwards.
According to Nana Sarbeng Ababio, the new national health insurance tariff structure seems to be a killer tariff structure, because the scheme was currently paying about three times what was being paid, before the introduction of the new tariff.
Addressing the Second Annual General Meeting of the scheme, the Chairman noted that the formula for disbursing premium exempt groups like SSNIT contributors, pensioners and those under eighteen years, from the national health insurance authority, does not reflect the reality on the ground, adding that it negatively affected the scheme on claims payments.
He recommended to the NHIA to base their premium sharing to schemes on utilisation reports, to help alleviate the situation where the schemes had to rely on filing for distress, before it could be paid claims brought by health providers.
Nana Sarbeng Ababio also suggested that routine medicines excluded from the National Health Insurance Medicine list, like Nirol and others should be considered in subsequent reviews.
He disclosed that following the introduction of the free maternal care under the NHIS, the scheme had collaborated with healthcare providers in the municipality, to register and provide instant identity cards for 3,348 pregnant women, as at the end of October this year, who attend antenatal or deliver at their facilities.
Nana Sarpong Ababio, therefore, entreated all Ghanaians to join the campaign to get on board all pregnant women, in order to reduce maternal mortality in the country.
The Chairman indicated that the board and management of the scheme, would avail themselves of the opportunities in the implementation of the uniform technology platform by the NHIA, and provide its members with the portable identity cards, which could be used anywhere in the country.
He said the total claim paid by the scheme from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007, was GH¢2,460,377 to healthcare providers.
The Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Kwame Twumasi Awuah, cautioned management and staff to desist from any fraudulent acts that could lead to the collapse of the scheme.
He charged the management to employ innovative strategies, to remind clients to renew their membership.
Mr. Twuamsi Awuah advised health workers to be tolerant and transparent in the discharge of their duties, noting that the nation could only create wealth, when there was proper, quality and accessibility to healthcare in the country, and appealed to all to register with scheme.
On his part, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Kwame Gyamfi, appealed to the media to be circumspect and seek clarification on information before reporting, since according to him, false information published or aired could lead to the collapse the scheme.
Mr. Kwame Gyamfi cautioned staff of the scheme, to be careful in their interactions with politicians, since some of them were there to downplay the achievements of the scheme, in order to win cheap political points.
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