Ghana's NHIS is the best in Africa — World Bank

Ghana was ranked with its 55 percent coverage in 2022 and came next after Rwanda, 79 percent, whose coverage is compulsory.

Senegal has 19 percent, Kenya 16 percent and Nigeria three percent.

Enoch Oti Agyekum, a Health Economist with the World Bank, said the services offered by the NHIS are unrivaled, even in some Western countries.

He made this known when he addressed the opening of training in expected claims generation and submission for the Tier-Three providers in Accra.

According to him, the NHIS was performing very well and if we look across the region, the NHIS comes next to Rwanda, as the best-performing scheme in terms of population coverage.

He said "But I will even say that the NHIS is the best because the context of Rwanda is different from that of Ghana and so in terms of population coverage, if you want to clap you can do it better for Ghana."

National Health Insurance Scheme Pulse Ghana

Meanwhile, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has made additional payments of GH¢186 million cedis to credentialed healthcare service providers.

The July 31, 2023 payments have been reduced to just a one-month debt owed to credentialed healthcare service providers. Prior to this latest payment, the Authority paid GH¢471 million to cover claims submitted for up to January 2023.

The Authority said it now makes monthly payments to service providers whose Claims have been vetted and approved.

These prompt payments to healthcare providers have increased their confidence and trust in the NHIA.

The Authority is committed to attaining 100 percent electronic claims management by the end of the year 2023.

The essence is to eliminate wastage and ensure prudent use of available resources to provide the best healthcare services to NHIS members and surely renew the government's confidence in the NHIA’s fiscal discipline.

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.