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The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, has inaugurated offices of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in three districts in the Upper East Region.
The beneficiary districts are Pusiga, Tempane and Bawku West.
The inauguration of the new offices is to provide a congenial environment for NHIS staff to render the needed services to the people.
Speaking at separate ceremonies, Dr Okoe Boye, who is the Health Minister designate, said the NHIA had introduced a ‘sunshine’ policy to give accurate information on payments made to the about 4,000 health facilities under the scheme.
He said “per this new policy, all payments made to beneficiary facilities are put on the authority’s website for verification and accountability”, stressing that “this is necessary so that the public can know what they are receiving from the NHIA to ensure that the right things are done”.
He noted that with the introduction of the policy, facilities that often charged patients for services rendered under the guise of non-payment of claims by the authority could easily be verified to prevent such payments.
“I am happy to announce that now, we are paying the facilities on time and regularly with a total of about GH¢150 million paid to all beneficiary health facilities monthly,” Dr Okoe Boye said.
The CEO disclosed that the authority was in the process of introducing the customer experience point also known as the pulpit initiative, which would see the setting up of an NHIS stand in health facilities to address concerns of beneficiaries who visit health facilities for medical care.
He said that the move was to provide quick responses to challenges faced by NHIS beneficiaries who seek medical services and, especially, to deal with illegal charges by health facilities.
While commending the chiefs for making land available for the construction of the new offices, Dr Okoe Boye entreated NHIS staff to ensure that the offices were maintained to stand the test of time and provide the needed services to the people.
He added that the scheme was committed to ensuring that every Ghanaian was registered with the health insurance scheme so that their medical expenses did not become a burden upon others in the society.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Pusiga, Hajia Lardi Ayii Ayamba, expressed delight about the construction of the new office, saying hitherto, residents in the area had to travel to Bawku to sign onto the scheme.
She appealed for the provision of furniture and other equipment to enhance the operations of health facilities in the area.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, in a speech read on his behalf, appealed to all stakeholders, including chiefs and the district assemblies, to own the facilities and maintain them as well.
