Annual NHIS Stakeholders’ Forum ends in Accra

A 2-day stakeholders’ forum of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has ended in Accra. The forum, under the theme “Building Stakeholder Consensus Towards Quality & Sustainability”, brought together participants from various areas within the health sector, the Ghana Health Service, Christian Health Association of Ghana, the Teaching Hospitals, members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health and International Development Partners, to share ideas, brainstorm and comment on the operations of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Amongst others, the forum discussed the National Health Insurance Authority’s Strategic Plan for 2010-2014, Clinical Audit Findings, Sustainability analysis of the NHIS, key value chain operations, stakeholder collaboration, and the revised NHIS bill that has been gazetted and is currently before Parliament.

This forum comes at a time when the 2010 Independent Assessment Review Report of the Health Sector acknowledged the improved transparency in the administration of the National Health Insurance Scheme and noted the positive and open leadership style at the National Health Insurance Authority. 

Commenting on the NHIS strategic plan, Mr. P.V. Obeng, Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission, said it is very important to bring the scheme closer to the subscriber through institutional reform, and called for operational flexibility through the establishment of local stakeholder advisory committees.

He also called on the NHIA Council to consider setting up an advisory board for the National Health Insurance Fund, and pointed out that the mission statement of the NHIA is challenging enough to stimulate thinking and continuous improvement.

In his remarks during the opening session, the Chairman of the National Health Insurance Council, who is also the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Doe Adjaho, urged participants to be dispassionate and frank in their discussions, adding that their views on the NHIS bill which has been laid before Parliament is welcome and important.

Participants called on the National Health Insurance Authority to go beyond just clinical audit to actually take punitive measures against unethical and unacceptable practices by some service providers whose actions and inactions bring the entire scheme into disrepute.

Notable participants included Prof. Francis Nkrumah, Ambassador Lee Ocran, Ghana’s Ambassador to South Africa, Hon Muntaka Mubarak, Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health and Hon. Simon Osei, MP for Bosomtwe, who also chaired the session on “Highlights of the NHIS Bill’.

Participants expressed satisfaction at the opportunity to engage the NHIS, describing the forum as an unprecedented one; one which was characterized by constructive dialogue among stakeholders. They were optimistic about the future of the NHIS.

The NHIS annual stakeholder forum, which started in 2009, is a knowledge sharing and practical annual event that engages key players in the health sector to address issues affecting healthcare financing in Ghana, and to propose feasible interventions to improve the implementation process.

Source: Asempa FM/Ghana