About 87,000 people as against 82,000 expected people were registered or enrolled unto Health Insurance Scheme in the Obuasi Municipality in 2015.

The Regional Director of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Mr. Richard Agyeman Badu revealed this on Thursday, 13th October, 2016 during a stakeholders meeting organized by the Obuasi office of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Obuasi.
He bemoaned the delay in paying claims to deserving hospitals. A situation he said is worrying but the scheme will expedite action to ensure that claims are paid on time. He attributed the cause of the delay to bureaucracy.

Mr. Agyeman Badu mentioned various measures the scheme has put in place to make it very effective and accessible. The establishment of claims processing centers in some parts of the country including the Ashanti Region and the advent of Electronic receipting together with Onsite banking with the National Investment Bank are measures he believes they have put together to fast track the registration process.
He continued that so far over 1.9 million people in the Ashanti Region are active members of the scheme which contradicts rumours making rounds that the scheme has collapsed. He called for Stakeholders collaboration especially Assembly members to ensure that the target for the National Health Insurance Scheme is realized.
Mr. Anthony Kenneth Buckner, the Deputy Municipal Coordinating Director who represented the Municipal Chief Executive advised health facilities to desist from charging clients or patients who come to their hospitals with NHIS card. He said, if it becomes expedient, they should liaise with the NHIS office to decide on the best way forward.

He advised the managers of the scheme to word assiduously to project the scheme for everyone to appreciate the value of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). The National Democratic Congress (NDC) government with its social democratic ideology he said will not allow the NHIS to collapse under its watch, the care for the Aged registration by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is indicative of government’s commitment, he ended.

Mr. Bawa Osman of the Obuasi Municipal Government Hospital highlighted the importance of the stakeholders meeting. He revealed that the inability of the NHIS to pay claims to the hospitals or providers has hampered the operations of the hospitals and affected health care delivery in the Municipality.
Mr. Osman pleaded with the scheme managers to ensure that the claims are paid on time to lessen their burden.

Meanwhile, the Obuasi office of the National Health Insurance Scheme has rolled up a Group registration exercise targeted at registering groups including Churches, Mosques, Market women, etc.

The participants made up of Members of the clergy, Heads of department, Members of the Security Services, NHIS Service providers, Assembly members and the Media present were given the platform to ask questions and make suggestions.


SIGNED
(SAMPSON MANU)
MUNICIPAL INFORMATION OFFICER