National Health Insurance Scheme...BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES IN THE BONGO DISTRICT (D/G Monday September 1, 2008 PAGE 36)

THE National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was fully implemented by the New Patriotic Party when it assumed the reins of power. Under the NHIS, the state and other contributors to the scheme subsidise the medical care provided the poor, as in many insurance schemes. For that reason, the economically active and the state pay for children, the aged and indigents.
It was introduced with the view to improving access of Ghanaians, especially the poor and vulnerable, to basic health services.
But like every initiative, it has its pros and cons. However, indications so far show that the good outweighs the challenges.
The pros of the scheme include equitable and universal access for all residents in Ghana to an acceptable quality of a package of essential health care services without physical payments at the point of service delivery.
This way, everyone is protected from the problems associated with having to find money at the time of illness before the needed health service is provided.
In the Upper East in general and the Bongo District in particular, the NHIS is one of the key pillars of poverty reduction and so far the district mutual health insurance scheme has lived up to expectation. Mr Clement Agana Ayamga is the Scheme Manager.
I dare say that it remains the best and most secure social welfare package that the state is providing its citizens.
Since its inception four years ago, the Bongo Mutual Health Insurance Scheme has seen a remarkable increase in registration of 12,498 in 2005 to 50, 598 members as of the close of June, this year, representing 60 per cent of the district’s population.
Total premium collected for the same period stood at GH¢70,377.83. The scheme has also built an office to house the personnel of the Information Management Systems.
It has also renovated the Outpatients Department of the Bongo District Hospital to ensure efficient computer networking and supported the facility with a loan to acquire a scanner.
A generator, a motorbike, two desktop computers and a refrigerator have been acquired to facilitate the effective running of the scheme in the district.
However, there are challenges. Despite the numerous achievements chalked up, the scheme is faced with a number of challenges. They include the lack of office accommodation, high tariffs for health care services, absence of terms of employment for the service staff and the multiple hospital attendance for health care services, resulting in double payment of tariffs. The general poverty of the residents in the district cannot go unnoticed.
Proffering some measures to curtail these challenges at the scheme's second annual general meeting, the Board Chairman, Mr Donatus Asosege, appealed to all registered members to be each other’s keeper by encouraging non-registered members to enrol in the scheme.
He also called on beneficiaries to desist from multiple attendance to reduce the already high premium being paid by members.
Mr Asosege also called on the government and the National Health Insurance Council to urgently come out with conditions of service for the staff to enable them to offer their best.
He also called for consideration for a fair representation of Board of Directors to cover all the Area Councils in the district, as well as gender equity.
His appeal to NGOs and interested stakeholders to assist groups in small-scale industries to reduce poverty in the district cannot go unnoticed.
Mr Ayamga also mentioned inadequate staffing to cope with the ever increasing tasks such as vetting of claims, field work, accounting, as well as data entry, as taking a toll on the onward movement of the scheme and appealed to the National Health Insurance Authority to give the scheme the opportunity to recruit the necessary staff to augment the current situation.
For politicians and other leaders, who have the opportunity to address large crowds in the district, Mr Ayamga has an appeal. "Please, dedicate a paragraph or two to health insurance so that more soles can be won in our struggle to sustain good health for mankind."
The Paramount Chief of the Bongo Traditional Area, Bonaba Salifu Aleemyaarum, took the opportunity to advise people politicising the implementation of the NHIS in the district to desist from it, since the benefits to be derived from it are there for all to see.
The district chief executive, Mr Francis Asampana, through his representative from the assembly, gave assurance of continuous support to the operation of the scheme. This is very much welcome and one can only hope that all hands will be on deck to ensure total coverage in the not too distant future.