NHIA holds maiden special board and management retreat

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye has held a special board and management retreat at Peduase to evaluate the standing of the organisation, probe challenges, procure its solutions and empower staff to give out their best as he takes over the office.

Speaking at the retreat, Dr. Okoe Boye pledged his commitment to sustaining the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and outlined his 5-vision plan, which he referred to as the ‘5Ds @2D’. The ‘5Ds’ stand for Digitalization, Decentralization, Development, Dissemination of information, and Data at 2 (two) decades.

These, he explained, will form the hinges of his transformational agenda for making the NHIA the most visible and well-structured public service institution in Ghana.

The Board Chair of the NHIA and chairman of the retreat, Dr. Ernest K. P. Kwarko reaffirmed the board’s support for the newly appointed CEO and lauded him for his innovative ideas, reiterating that he is a team player with qualities that puts him forward as a fair, friendly but firm individual with the development of the health sector at heart.

Reacting to the need to build staff capacity for efficiency, Dr. Kwarko advocated for periodic training for staff and also called on Dr. Okoe Boye to place NHIS staff in areas where their strength lies the most in order to maximise their full potential.

He indicated that as board members, they will continue to work hard to shape the Scheme’s policies to ensure that every resident in Ghana benefits from the NHIS.

At the retreat, heads of various directorates within the Authority took turns to present the state of their respective departments, with a focus on their challenges and their individual projections for the next 2 years.

Dr. Okoe Boye assured the department heads that he is poised to take on the challenges to turn the fortunes of the organisation around.

He charged staff to perceive the NHIA as a learning organisation where everyone must take steps to improve on their craft and expertise through requisite and regular training.

Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye announced that the retreat will be held once each year to offer the NHIA board and management the opportunity to track the progress of the organisation as the Scheme approaches its 20th anniversary.