Coalition defends report on low coverage of NHIS
Essential Services Platform (ESP), an umbrella of coalitions in health, education, water and sanitation, on Monday defended a report, which among other things, indicated that official figures put out as on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) coverage, were exaggerated and could be as low as 18 per cent.
In a statement signed by Mr Leonard Shang-Quartey, Convener, it said the report, “Achieving a Shared Goal: Free Universal Care in Ghana”, was not a product of only Oxfam, a British Charity, but a collective work commissioned by Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights, ESP and Oxfam.
The statement said they were concerned about the tactic adopted by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to divert attention from the discussions of the pertinent issues raised in the report.
“We took part in the validation process of the report, we have read the final document and find the issues raised in the report as reflective of the shortfalls of the National Health Insurance Scheme.
“We therefore express our full confidence in the report made available by the policy analysts recruited by the commissioning partners.”
The NHIA has dismissed the report with the Chief Executive Officer, Mr Sylvester Mensah, saying as of December 2010 the insurance coverage stood at 16.8 million with 12.2 million people on active insurance.
The figures represent 65 percent coverage as against the 18 per cent given by the report.
The statement said as citizens, they expected “more than a rushed response of the Authority and the unnecessary attacks on Oxfam”.
It said the credibility of Oxfam, their commitment to social and economic justice and the advancement of the circumstances of the poor and vulnerable around the world was well known.
The statement said the report noted that use of fee-for-service method for provider payment for medicines had led to an increase in the number of drugs per prescription under the NHIS.
“Health policy analysts put the level of increment from 2.4 to six times more from 2004 to 2008. This has led to a phenomenal increase in the cost of drugs under the scheme pushing cost of drug prescriptions far above international standards.”
It said similar cost escalation accompanied the Diagnostic Related Group (DRG) system introduced by the NHIA in June 2008, adding “the 2008 independent health sector review found the DRG to have caused an immediate jump in cost of claims.”
“Due to such happenings cost of NHIS is spiralling out of control with the cost per claim rising from GH¢8.48 to GH¢19.29 between 2000 and 2009. From 2005 to 2009, total expenditure on claims rose from GH¢7.6 million to GH¢308 million according to the 2009 NHIA annual report. ”
The statement urged the NHIA to work hard to assist the President to realise the vision of universal access to health care beginning with the one-time premium payment.
Source: GNA