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Government to
restructure NHIS
Accra, March 5, Ghanadot/GNA - The National
Health Insurance Scheme is to be restructured to respond to
the needs of the population and improve upon the issue of
claims management.
This was contained in the 2009 budget which was presented to
the Parliament on Thursday by Dr Kwabena Duffuor, the
Finance minister who said this would involve networking all
DHMIS to service providers and the National Health Insurance
Authority.
This, among other things, will help to resolve the problem
of portability to make it national in coverage. It will also
pursue the policy on de-linking children from their parents
and improve the registration and the provision of free
maternal care.
He said government will commence work on the implementation
of the one time payment of insurance premium under the
Scheme, adding that, the actuarial analysis relating thereto
will start in earnest.
The National Health Insurance Scheme has expanded coverage
with almost 12,269,503 registered members by the end of
2008, representing 54 per cent of the population according
to official sources.
Government, the Minister said had allocated GH¢921,929,472
for the implementation of the above activities and others to
be undertaken by the Ministry
of Health.
Out of the amount government will provide GH¢344,398,438 IGF-
GH¢108,312,030 Donor community, GH¢82,582,842, HIPC - GH¢11,427,000
and NHIF ¢375,209,162.
As
part of current strategy to control malaria, education and
advocacy would be intensified to increase utilization of
insecticide treated nets (ITNs) nationwide, indoor residual
spraying and scale up the bio-larviciding projects to
Central, Western and other Regions.
Additionally, the Ministry will initiate a Mass Treatment
pilot project in Greater Accra Region with the aim of
eliminating malaria parasite from the defined population and
establish the safety and efficacy of the method used. In
furtherance to the health sector’s policy of controlling
malaria, the seven-year draft national strategic plan
(2008-2015) currently under preparation will be completed
for consideration by Government in 2009.
The Ministry will initiate a pilot project in Greater Accra
Region with the aim of eradicating malaria parasites from
the population. Furthermore, the Ministry will undertake
collaborative programmes with its counterpart in Togo, Cote
d‘Ivoire and Burkina Faso to tackle the control of malaria.
The Ministry will embark upon major multi-sector
collaboration to improve sanitation and target safe food and
water. Specifically, it will collaborate with the Ministries
of Local Government & Rural Development, Education, Women &
Children, Water Resources, Works & Housing and Food &
Agriculture to develop relevant regulations and guidelines
to ensure safety of food, water and sanitation.
The Ministry will complete work on the Mental Health,
Tobacco, National Health Service and National Ambulance
bills for consideration of Cabinet and subsequent passage by
Parliament.
It would finalise and disseminate guidelines on gender
mainstreaming in all health facilities. Gender sensitive
case management protocols will also be developed.
A management team will be trained to handle gender
dimensions of health service delivery. In addition, Police
medical reports forms will be reviewed and standardised to
facilitate data captured on domestic violence.
Maternal and neonatal health would be improved by increasing
access to obstetric care in all health facilities to reduce
maternal death. Key strategies include expansion of
midwifery and nursing training institutions, deployment of
qualified nurses and midwives, improvement in comprehensive
abortion care services and monitoring the implementation of
existing policy on free maternal deliveries.
In the light of resurgence of some communicable diseases,
the Ministry will, as a matter of urgency review the
management of these diseases especially cholera, meningitis
and yellow fever.
To further strengthen the programme for modernizing health
care and also improve access to quality health care, the
Ministry will rehabilitate all Health facilities destroyed
by floods in the Northern Region.
In addition, 21 Health Centres would be constructed and four
existing ones equipped and upgraded to District Hospitals.
The health centres are at Essiam, Ajumako, Zabzugu and
Galo-Sota. Moreover, the first phase of the Bolgatanga
Regional Hospital will be completed, feasibility studies for
the development of a
specialized Maternity and Children’s Hospital at Ridge will
be undertaken.
Similarly, offices for the Food and Drugs Board, Nurses and
Midwives Council would be completed and the expansion works
on training schools at Keta, Bolgatanga, Berekum, Oda,
Tamale, Teshie, Sefwi Wiawso and Agogo will also be carried
out.
GNA
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