National Health Insurance Scheme Starts In January

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) will become fully operational from January, next year.

Already, the Legislative Instrument (L1), which will give the scheme the requisite legal backing is being worked out.

A Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, who made this known in Kumasi at the start of a week’s duty tour of the Ashanti Region, said all bottlenecks, which might hinder the smooth operation of the scheme, were being tackled to ensure that Ghanaians obtained quality health care delivery under the scheme.

He said the minimum premium required for the scheme was ?2,000 and urged Ghanaians to register in their numbers when the scheme took off.

Forty-five districts countrywide were initially to benefit from the scheme. The number has now been increased to 90 with the government releasing additional ?18.9 billion to cover 45 more districts, under the District-wide Health Insurance Schemes.

They include six each in the Eastern and Western regions , four in the Northern Region, three in the Upper East and three in the Upper West regions.

The rest include five in the Volta Region, five in the Ashanti Region, six in the Central Region and five in the Brong-Ahafo Region and the Tema Municipality.

Also included in the proposed second phase of development of district-wide mutual health schemes are sub-metropolitan areas. These are Shama, Sekondi, Ablekuma, Ashiedu Keteke, Osu Klottey, Ayawaso, Okaikoi, Bantama, Subin and Asokwa.

The Deputy Minister stressed that pregnant women, children and the elderly, are excluded from making any contribution to the scheme. He said the government was determined to ensure that every citizen irrespective of his or her status enjoyed good medical care.