The Ghana Free Universal Access to Health Care Campaign has called on the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to introduce a wider stakeholder dialogue including civil societies to extensively discuss topical issues arising from the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) capitation pilot financing model.

A statement signed by Mr Sidua Hor, National Campaign Coordinator indicated that the debate had so far been limited to the NHIA and private health care providers without the active involvement of other key stakeholders such as the health service users and civil society groups.

It said the capitation financing model promised to deal effectively with major risks associated with the NHIS but could not be effective without a realistic and sustainable per capital rates.

“A major risk that the NHIS has been exposed to since its inception is the widely reported incidence of fraud under the scheme. The capitation model if properly implemented can avert the risk. However in its implementation the state should not proceed in ways that may compromise the interest and rights of clients”, it added.

According to the statement, if the nation accepts the capitation model, the issue of the per capital rate for quality health care, acceptable formula for calculating rate, monitoring of service delivery to ensure best care and the possibility of lifting the six months service restrictions on clients would remain unanswered.

It indicated that it was important for the current debate to be widened beyond the current geographical scope and stakeholders, saying universal access to quality health care could no longer wait whilst the poor continued to pay for the cost of health care with their lives.

It urged the NHIA to as a matter of urgency, organize a national debate that would bring all stakeholders together including civil society, to deal with the issue.

The Ghana Free Universal Access to Health Care Campaign is driven by a network of local and international NGO’s including the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR), ISODEC, Essential Service Platform, SEND Ghana, and Coalition of NGO’s in Health.

The campaign has organized national policy dialogues with key stakeholders in the health sector to discuss equity issues about the NHIS. It has also undertaken a research on the implementation of the NHIS and findings have been disseminated.