In line with the National Health Insurance Act, 2003 (Act 650) and Act 2012 (Act 852) as amended, the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH) in Tema will, effective Wednesday, July 5, 2023, commence the treatment of clients enrolled in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

This follows a brief ceremony at the Tema-based hospital on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, where a credential certificate was officially presented to the hospital by the management of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of NHIA, Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye, noted that the addition of the International Maritime Hospital to the NHIA's family of providers will go a long way in helping Ghana attain Universal Health Coverage in the near future.

“While we welcome the International Maritime Hospital into the NHIA family of providers, I am confident that it will become a model facility that will uphold the tenets of health insurance and provide the quality of care desired by all its patients alike. We pray that this partnership will blossom and help NHIA and Ghana attain UHC,” he stated.

In order to achieve the UHC target of 80% by 2023 set out by the government of Ghana, Dr. Okoe-Boye outlined some innovations introduced by the NHIA to increase enrollment in the state-owned scheme.

“Mr. Chairman, achieving UHC for Ghana also means that the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) must expand geographical access to healthcare and work towards eradicating out-of-pocket payment at health facilities for its insured members.

“Mr. Chairman, on our part, we have introduced exciting groundbreaking innovations to make joining the Scheme and being a member more convenient and hassle-free. Talk of a self-registration application launched last December by the Vice President, His Excellency Dr. Alhaji Bawumia, called My NHIS App. This has made it possible for self-enrollment for anyone and third parties who possess a Ghana card to do so at their own convenience. Renewing NHIS Membership has also been made easy on the same My NHIS App or via the use of a USSD code *929#,” he said.

He also highlighted other innovations such as an efficient claims management regime, "where today 86% of our claims are submitted and vetted electronically, as compared to barely 2 years ago when claims were 80% manually vetted," as some of the ways management of the scheme is ensuring efficiency.

“Mr. Chairman, I am happy to note that for the first time in several years, the Government led by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo through the Ministry of Finance is releasing funds more rapidly to the NHIA, making it possible for us to pay on average GHC150 – GHC200 Million monthly as claims reimbursement to healthcare providers.

“Within the last 30 days alone, the NHIA has paid GHC367 Million to its over 4,500 credentialed facilities across the country to cover claims bills up to December 2022. Mr. Chairman, in the next few weeks, further payments will be made to cover January claims submitted, which will again, for the first time in several years, bring the NHIS back into the accepted 90-day arrears window as it will technically owe providers only two (2) months of claims for February and March 2023. The NHIS is more resilient today, and we are committed to doing even better,” he added.

However, he bemoaned the incidents of out-of-pocket illegal charges levied on NHIS subscribers by some health facilities.

He noted that a review of the NHIA national report is currently underway, and management of the scheme will soon publish guidance on sanctions that will be applied to facilities found wanting.

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of IMaH, Dr. Afriyie Akwasi Acheampong, expressed delight about the arrangement and expressed hope that it will open the door for every Ghanaian to receive international-standard health delivery at the facility.

“Today is another level for us having partnered with the National Health Insurance Authority, which is a great achievement. We want every citizen of this country to have IMaH care, to have international care,” he said.

The Board Chair of IMaH, Professor Gladys Amponsah, said the partnership between the scheme and the facility will help the hospital reach a wider section of the Ghanaian population.

In tandem, Dr. Alex Adusei, who represented the Director-General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), said the new arrangement will help the authority attain its Corporate Social Responsibility goals.

“For us to contribute to the economic development of Ghana, we built this facility not only to serve our workers but also to serve our community and satisfy our corporate social responsibility duty. For us to add NHIS as part of this development, on one hand, we now know we can serve more people and also help us maintain our forward-looking tertiary international practice,” he stated.

The National Health Insurance Scheme is a publicly funded healthcare system established by the Government of Ghana in 2003. The scheme is a form of national health insurance established to provide equitable access and financial coverage for basic healthcare services to Ghanaian citizens.

KPE