Much ado about NHIS

In recent news, Ghana’s Minister of Health, Major Courage Quashigah demanded and announced the release of all infants being held in the nation’s hospitals for non-payment of bills on March 8th, in commemoration of International Women’s Day. Of course, we at KBFF were elated by the news! In one fell swoop, a major victory had been won for the children who were suffering at the hands of Poverty, who had trapped them into these sad conditions. There has also been much talk about the implementation of the NHIS (National Health Insurance Scheme), which would cover the bulk of the costs for medical attention. Perhaps (we thought), this would be the beginnings of a trend toward a more effective cycle of service at the hospitals throughout the nation, and KBFF could focus its resources towards other plans in the works.

Upon further investigation, we’ve found that this is not the case, and for all the pomp and circumstance, there are still loopholes in the young structure that need to be addressed, and which don’t address a large cross section of the medical needs of the people of Ghana. The first major hurdle is that there is little information or education on what the NHIS does do. While there have been calls by the government to have the proletariat sign up for the Scheme (gosh I hate that word!), there has been little literature to explain its benefits. The majority of the country has not yet signed up to receive their insurance benefits.

Secondly the NHIS only accommodates for certain illnesses and categories. It is quite selective in terms of the things it will pay for. For example, it does not pay for most surgeries; pays only for a specific amount; and pays for specific drugs that have been previously stipulated. This means that if the medication you need is not covered by the scheme, you will have to pay for it yourself. The NHIS considers the NICU a ‘specialist facility’ and will not pay for it either. It also doesn’t pay for things like treatment of cancers and for chemotherapy. We believe that there is also a limit on the inpatient bills the scheme will pay for.

So where does that leave the need for KBFF?

Right in the middle. KBFF is and will continue to be a bridge in the gap between the needs of the people and the void that the government plan does not provide. KBFF needs you and your support, but more importantly the children of Ghana need you. Join us today!

Best regards,

Malaka Grant

For more information on the NHIS, please visit the following links:

NHIS: CBC News Report
Ghana Health Service
GRi Review: NHIS