The acting Central Regional Deputy Director of
Clinical Care, Alhaji Alanga Yamyolia has urged the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to urgently review the tariffs on the drugs list to conform with current prices on the market.
He said even though the law establishing the NHIA required quarterly review of tariffs, this had not being done, leaving the various schemes to pay old prices for pharmaceutical products.
Alhaji Alanga made the call at a meeting in Cape Coast to review the first phase of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and to chart a new course for the take off of the second phase.
He explained that review of the tariffs does not necessarily mean automatic increases in prices since some drugs could be reviewed upwards or downwards in line with the current prices.
He asked the Authority to adhere to its own laws and ensure that the proper thing was done to ensure fairness among the various schemes and service providers.
Alhaji Alanga enumerated a number of challenges facing the scheme, such as inadequate information on the new billing system, lack of training for staff and collaboration between trainers and trainees on the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) systems of the various schemes.
Mr. Emmanuel Badu, Regional Manager of the NHIA, said the first phase of the NHIS dealt mainly with the various schemes and service providers and that the second phase would focus on using ICT components to enable all
Ghanaians, irrespective of their location to access health care.
He said the workshop was therefore intended to enable all stakeholders to collectively discuss their individual challenges and together come out with concrete solutions to improve upon health care delivery.
Madam Ama Benyiwa-Doe, Regional Minister noted that government appreciates the work of the NHIA and expressed optimism that with consensus
building, it could address challenges facing the scheme.