The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has called for an increase in the national health insurance levy from 2.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent.
According to the Chief Executive of the NHIA, Dr Samuel Annor, this is the only way that the currently “broke” scheme can survive.
“When you want to go to the market to buy a commodity, you have to take the right price in your pocket. The right price according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines is that to purchase primary health care, you need about $86 for each person for the whole year.â€
Read: NHIS may grind to a halt in 12 months – NHIA Boss
“At the moment, with Gh?110 it only translates to about $25 for each person for a whole year so obviously you cannot purchase health care with that low level of money because our membership has grown and the demand has risen and the cost of health care has risen, that is why we are in this state.â€
“So we are saying that government should come to our aid by increasing the percentage of national health insurance levy from 2.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent to allow for civil servants and people who are employed to be able to contribute to their own health care.â€
“Not to contribute into government budget funding, but to contribute to their own health care into the health fund at the Bank of Ghana.”
Courtesy call
Dr Samuel Annor made the call when he led the top management of the NHIA to pay a visit to Graphic Communications Group Limited on Monday and to observe the Editorial Conference of the Daily Graphic newspaper.
Accompanying Dr Annor were Dr Lydia Dsane-Selby, Deputy CEO in charge of Operations, Mrs Yaa Pokuaa Baiden, Deputy CEO in charge of Administration and Human Resource and Mr Francis Owusu, Deputy CEO in charge of Finance.
Read: NHIA cries for increased funding to sustain scheme
Others were Mr Ben Kusi, Director of Membership and Regional Operations, Mr Oswald Esuah-Mensah, Deputy Director of Marketing, Mr Davis Opoku Ansah, Deputy Director at the CEO’s Secretariat and Mr Richard Barima Sarpong, Communications Manager.
Dr Samuel Annor explained that there is need for Ghana to take a serious look at the financing module of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to prevent it from collapse.
“We have been broke for many years now because of the financing module,†he declared.
Source: Graphic.com.gh