Advertisement

Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare (middle), the Director-General, Ghana Health Service, interacting with Dr Samuel Yaw Annor,  while Dr Eli Atikpui (2nd left), Registrar, Dental & Medical Council; Major Richard Boateng (left), NHIS Liaison Officer, Armed Forces Medical Services, and Mr Peter Yeboah, (right), Executive Director, Christian Health Association of Ghana, look on. Picture: NII MARTEY M. BOTCHWAY
Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare (middle), the Director-General, Ghana Health Service, interacting with Dr Samuel Yaw Annor, while Dr Eli Atikpui (2nd left), Registrar, Dental & Medical Council; Major Richard Boateng (left), NHIS Liaison Officer, Armed Forces Medical Services, and Mr Peter Yeboah, (right), Executive Director, Christian Health Association of Ghana, look on. Picture: NII MARTEY M. BOTCHWAY

NHIS proposes 20 per cent tariff increment

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has proposed a 20 per cent upward tariff adjustment this year for service providers, after three years without an increment.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr Samuel Annor, told the Daily Graphic that the proposal was subject to negotiations with service providers and a subsequent approval by the Ministry of Health.

There are currently more than 4,300 service providers on the NHIS’ list, out of which Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) compounds have 2,320 facilities.

“We believe that the 20 per cent is workable within our budget. But we have to get the necessary approval from them (service providers),” Dr Annor said.

He said the review was supposed to happen yearly, “so if it doesn’t happen, the onus is not only on the NHIS; the health providers can call us about it because we are all working together in the interest of patients. If we all sit quiet, then it means we are all happy.”

Event

Dr Annor stated this after a stakeholders’ meeting with service providers in Accra yesterday.

The meeting was to address pertinent issues that affected the efficiency and sustainability of the NHIS.

The tariff represents fees paid to service providers per visit to an NHIS-accredited facility.

The review is done annually to reflect price changes in the market.

Timeline

Dr Annor said when the discussions were concluded, the tariff increment would take effect from January this year.

Asked whether he expected a higher percentage increment from the service providers, given that there had been no increment in the last three years, he said: “That is why we are here to negotiate. But we will negotiate within our budget.”

According to some of the service providers, they were seeking between a 25 and 50 per cent increment to reflect market realities.

They said a realisation of the increment would come as a major relief because of the increasing cost of health care in the country.

Findings

The Deputy Chief Executive of the NHIA in charge of Operations, Dr Lydia Dsane-Selby, said the authority, in a facility audit last year, found some anomalies in some facilities that included poor record keeping, improper documentation, inadequate professional staff, unqualified staff as prescribers in facilities, improper diagnosis to make patients seem sicker, as well as treating malaria without evidence of testing.

She said there were also many cases of service providers who were deliberately encouraging patients to come for multiple visits, with its attendant irrational prescription of medicines, laboratory requests and improper diagnosis, just to attract higher tariffs.

Dr Dsane-Selby also described as worrying a trend in which 99 per cent of claims received by the authority were nine months older, with accompanying letters to explain the delays also coming in late.

Connect With Us : 0242202447 | 0551484843 | 0266361755 | 059 199 7513 |