Vice President Amissah-Arthur Re-echo’s The Need For Sustainable NHIS

Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has stressed the need for a sustainable National Health Insurance Scheme.

He has therefore, tasked the National Health Insurance Technical Review Committee to provide the basis for a sustainable, equitable and an accountable scheme.

Vice President Amissah-Arthur said this when he opened a National Stakeholders Conference on the Technical Review of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Accra.
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He said government is committed to providing health care, based on an efficient NHIS with the aim of progressing to a universal health coverage.

Government in September last year constituted a committee to review the current status of the National Health Insurance Scheme and make proposals for its reform taking into account, especially the significant financial challenges facing the scheme.

The Chairman of the Technical Review committee, Dr. Chris Artim presented the expert proposals and recommended turns to the stakeholders.

He said all health care above primary health care, maternal and child care as well as limited exempted categories should be subject to stronger forms of cost containment measure.

The committee proposed that the NHIA should devise more innovative ways of reaching out to the public including but not limited to the use of mobile technology.

There is the need to set up patient protection council backed by law to protect clients and ensure they receive health care in dignity and with respect.

Vice President Amissah-Arthur said access, converge and equity in health financing is a major issue and tasked the stakeholders to discuss the issues dispassionately in order to come out with innovative financing ideas that can sustain the scheme.

Minister of Finance, Seth Terkper said, for Ghana to have value for money invested in the health sector, there is the need for sustainability and accountability.

He said a wide and more equitable coverage of health service can be achieved through an effective and efficient application of resources.