NHIA clears debts

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has made additional payments of GH₵186 million to credentialed healthcare service providers.

The payment which was made on July 31, 2023 has reduced the remaining to just a month debt owed to credentialed healthcare service providers.

In an interview, the Head of Corporate Affairs of the authority, Oswald Essuah-Mensah said prior to the latest payments, the Authority paid GH₵471 million in June to cover claims submitted for up to January 2023.

“The Authority now makes monthly payments to service providers whose Claims have been vetted and approved,” he said.

He explained that the prompt payments to healthcare providers had increased their confidence and trust in the NHIA, noting that “the Authority is committed to attaining 100 per cent electronic Claims management by the end of the year 2023”.

Wastage

Mr Essuah-Mensah explained that the essence was to eliminate wastage and ensure prudent use of available resources to provide the best healthcare services to NHIS members and renew the government’s confidence in the NHIA’s fiscal discipline.

He indicated that as a result of the rapid claims payments, the Authority launched a platform known as the ‘Sunshine policy’ to deepen accountability, transparency, and social auditing.

“Since its launch in March 2023, suppliers of drugs to healthcare facilities and other stakeholders are able to log onto the NHIS website with privileged access to view payments made to deserving facilities,” he added.

This, Mr Essuah-Mensah, described as the highest level of transparency which had won the admiration of healthcare managers as a critical innovation and that access to view monthly payments under the Sunshine Policy on the NHIS website had been given to all stakeholders with the latest being all Regional Ministers through, Bono Regional Minister, Justina Owusu Banahene.

He noted that the Chief Executive of the NHIS, Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye recently confirmed that key traditional rulers would soon be given access to view claims paid so as to deepen their ownership, involvement and advocacy for the Scheme.