The Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, has warned accredited healthcare providers over illegal charges.
According to Dr. Okoe Boye, the illegal fees known as co-payment is against the Scheme’s Act as enshrined in the 1992 constitution.
NHIA said the illegality is hurting new enrollment and renewals.
Due to the inappropriate actions of some of the accredited healthcare providers, the NHIA has decided to meet with some key stakeholders in the country to find lucrative measures to redeem the image of the authority.
Dr. Okoe Boye indicated, “The practice has assumed an alarming dimension to the extent that it is now becoming a norm rather than an exception, ” adding that six out of 10 complaints made to the authority were about co-payment.
According to Dr. Okoe Boye, sometimes patients are being asked to pay for the prescribed drugs, although the NHIS has catered for that cost.
He added: “At the primary care level, apart from blood film for malaria, all other laboratory investigations and about 5per cent of medications prescribed are paid for by members, in addition to other services,” the CEO added.
According to him, “there had been significant improvement in the utilisation and access to health care, with over 9per cent of outpatient department attendance in public institutions and 7per cent in credentialed private health institutions being members of the scheme”.
He also said that “claims submitted for services rendered were currently in excess of GH¢120m, becoming the major contributor to the internally generated funds of most public institutions and a boost to expansion in health infrastructure”.
The NHIA has assured the general public of their readiness to combat these inappropriate actions by some accredited healthcare providers in the country. According to the CEO, their main focus on the pending illegal act is to stop it in the country and not to minimise it for others to still retrieve monies from vulnerable patients.
