Ghana Health Service, NHIS meet on Universal Access to Health
The Upper East Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), have institutionalised stakeholders engagement meeting aimed at ensuring universal access to health coverage in the region.
The meeting, which is being held quarterly is to help remove the bottlenecks that impede universal access to health coverage.
This came to light when the two bodies held the second quarter meeting on in Bolgatanga to discuss issues relating to new medicines and service review tariffs.
The meeting also discussed the status of the implementation of capitation in the region, clearance of re-imbursement, submissions to the claims processing centre, the scaling up of Community-based Health and Planning Services (CHPS), doctor and nurses patient ratio in the health facilities in the region.
Addressing the meeting, the Regional Director of Health Service, Dr Kofi Issah, explained that the engagement was very important because it would help contribute significantly to the achievements of the goal three of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims at ensuring universal access to health coverage.
He said in order to help attain universal access to health coverage, there is the need for strong partnership and collaboration which is the goal 17 of the SDGs
“The Institutionalisation of this engagement will enable us to strengthen each other efforts and pull resources and ideas together for us to build a very strong health systems in the region to fast-track the attainment of the SDGs on the universal access to health coverage in the region and the nation as a whole,” he indicated.
The Regional Director stated that his outfit had instituted similar engagement meetings with other major stakeholders including the Presbyterian Health Service, the Catholic Health Service, Health Service Providers, the media, and traditional authorities all geared towards meeting the SDGs.
Dr Issah also announced that the new Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, which is being constructed by the Government, is about 90 per cent complete and would help strengthen the health system in the region as well as serve as a centre for the training of health professionals.
“Plans are also far advanced by the GHS, the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Korea International Cooperation Agency to build additional CHPS compounds in more communities in the region and also train and build the capacities of many health professionals to help render quality health services to the people.
“Also measures are being put in place to attract more doctors to the Region. All these interventions will translate into fast-tracking the achievement of the goal three of the SDGs.”
The Regional Director of the NHIA, Mr Sebastian Alagpulinsa, expressed happiness about the collaboration, adding that the GHS is one of the major stakeholders in the implementation of the NHIS.
He said the collaboration would strengthen the smooth operationalisation of the scheme.
He gave the assurance that the implementation of the capitation system, which would cover about 90 per cent subscribers in the region, would help address the late payment of claims to health Service providers.
Source: GNA