HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME NEEDS HELP (DEC 23)

REPORTS from the length and breadth of the country indicate that all is not well with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
It is difficult to single out the rot at most of the District Mutual Health Insurance schemes for the challenges but it boils down to the inability of scheme managers to police the system.
The scheme has been faced with many challenges since its inception, notable among them being the delays in the issuance of identity (ID) cards, the non-payment of claims and abuse of the drug list by some service providers.
Another major problem has been the refusal of a section of the public to register for the scheme, citing various reasons such as the fear that the authorities will use the registration exercise for tax purposes and the erroneous impression that it is for political reasons.
These teething problems notwithstanding, the scheme has helped to make health facilities and health delivery more accessible to those who have registered under it.
The DAILY GRAPHIC thinks if the scheme is left unregulated by the managers, certain unscrupulous people in society will exploit the loopholes for personal gain.
We know that some of our compatriots face difficulty in paying their premiums. However, the people managing the schemes can help to grow the new health financing mechanism if they expose those who want to gain out of the sweat of ordinary premium holders.
In spite of the advancement in science and technology and the availability of health services in all corners of the country, some people in need of health care die because of their inability to foot the medical bills.
The Mills administration has pledged to build on the foundations of the NHIS put in place by the previous government. It has promised to introduce the one-time premium payment but if the fraud in the system is not halted, nothing fruitful can be achieved even if the novelty one-time payment is introduced.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, welcomes the directive by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) that the use of claim funds for administrative purposes, which can be described as a leak, be stopped to ensure that moneys meant for specific items are disbursed appropriately.
The DAILY GRAPHIC supports moves by the NHIA to streamline the operations of the scheme to ensure that majority of Ghanaians who have paid premiums enjoy better health services.
We call on the authority not to spare the rod when its officials are found to have misapplied the resources of the scheme.
The NHIS enjoys a massive injection of funds every month from taxes, premiums and contributions from workers but the benefits cannot accrue to the people if the managers are left to do their own thing.
Let us collectively take steps to expose all the bad lots in the system in order to save the scheme from collapse.
The complaints from premium holders, if not addressed quickly, can kill the enthusiasm with which the people have responded recently to the campaign to register with the scheme.
All health financing schemes world-wide face challenges, but their managers are working hard to remove the bottlenecks that stand in the way of an effective health financing framework.
The cheats in the system must not have their way.