The demand for government to ensure that the National Health Insurance Scheme works effectively keeps coming up, as many Ghanaians have lamented the inability of the scheme to cater for their health needs.
They contend that the benefit derived from this social intervention mostly ends up at the Out-Patients Department at a number of health facilities.
According to a survey conducted by Send Ghana dubbed the citizen’s manifesto, there is a high demand for government to expand the NHIS to include preventive health tests, illnesses and essential drugs.
Data has shown that an effective social protection system is key to improving the livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable and is a great tool for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In an interview with Citi News, some of the subscribers of the scheme say the situation seems to be different in reality.
“We pay for lab tests; the scheme takes care of only the patient’s card. I have the card, it is not helpful. I visited a health facility with an eye problem but I was told the scheme can only support my card and not the treatment. I renew it regularly because we are not being treated fairly when it expires. We are pleading with government to come to our aid. Government must go all out to help us by extending the illnesses NHIS covers,” said Kate Ashigbe, a subscriber.
Another subscriber, Millicent Adjei said: “The scheme has never absolved my hospital bills even though I am a subscriber. It has to be expanded. I don’t expect to pay for quality health care at my age. I have the NHIS card but I haven’t renewed it since it expired two years ago because I pay for everything. So I prefer to go to a private health facility. Whoever becomes the next president should pay attention to the poor and aged once health care is involved”.
“For me, the NHIS card does not function. We were told that as a subscriber your health care charges will be catered for, but we still pay. Again it takes care of the patient’s card and consultation,” another subscriber, Apostle Adjei Anyetei complained.
“My message to government is the number of poor citizens outweighs the rich hence NHIS must work effectively by covering all health bills,” he added.
In response to these queries, a Deputy Health Minister, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye said plans are underway to get other ailments onto the scheme.
“It is an ongoing process; the scheme has a committee or a wing that is looking at the categories not in the scheme to find a way of roping them in. There are cancer medications that were previously not covered. As I speak, they have been brought on board. There were basic procedures, I think breast examination, mammography and others that were not in the scheme. They are being roped in,” he added.
