NHIS proposes GH¢50 one-time premium

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHISA) has proposed a GH¢50 one-time premium for beneficiaries of the scheme.

The proposed one-time premium health insurance for Ghanaians, which was part of the campaign promise of the current National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, will kick-start in December this year, after it has been sent to Parliament on July for discussion and its subsequent approval.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NHISA, Mr Sylvester A. Mensah, who made this pronouncement to the press in Tamale, noted that though it has not been made official, he, however, noted that the GH¢50 one-time premium covers free quality health services in the country, adding that the one-time premium is non-negotiable.

Mr Mensah who was on a national assessment tour to ascertain some of the difficulties and challenges facing the scheme met directors, managers and staff of the scheme in the region.

The meeting was to have the assurance and understanding of scheme officers and to call on them to help in the collection of monies due the scheme from January to April 2010.

The CEO said the health insurance authority is making arrangement for the sustainability of the scheme, adding that measures have been put in place to strengthen the containment process of the scheme.

He assured that the abuses and frauds that bedevil the work of the scheme will be a thing of the past as the authority has put in place checks and balances to ensure accountability in the work of national health insurance scheme workers.

Mr Mensah revealed that several managers and workers of the scheme have started resigning in an attempt to avoid legal actions being taken against them because they might have been involved in one stinky deal and the other.

“We are not going to accept any resignation from any officer atleast not until July of this year when every work under the scheme is scrutinized.

The Northern Regional Manager of the scheme, Mr Rashid Tanko, hinted that through a clinical auditing in six districts, the scheme has recovered GH¢1.1 million.

The six districts include Tamale Metro, Tolon, Savelugu, Gushiegu, Saboba/Chereponi and Salaga.

He noted that the scheme has also put measures in place to check on the unreliably claims by the service providers.

However, Mr Tanko assured the operators of the scheme that the cost containment process is not witch-hunting, but a way of ensuring accountability and proper documentation.

STORY: FROM HAMZA LANSAH LOLLY, TAMALE