NHIA working to achieve universal health coverage for Upper East Region – Director
Mr Sabastian Alagpulinsa, the Upper East Regional Director of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), has said the Authority is committed to ensure that the Region achieves Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
He said as part of measures to achieve the target, his outfit would ensure that all residents in the Region are enrolled onto the scheme and possess valid National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) cards to enable them access health care at all times.
He said the Authority has mapped out strategies to achieve UHC and disclosed that the NHIS benefit package covers about 95 per cent of disease conditions in the country including outpatient and inpatient services, oral health and emergencies.
Mr Alagpulinsa was speaking at the mid-year performance review meeting of the Authority held in Bolgatanga.
The meeting brought together district managers from all nine operational district offices of the NHIA and stakeholders in the Region.
The review meeting afforded the Authority the opportunity to identify its operational challenges and best practices for sustainable implementation of the scheme in the Region, and to drive home the ultimate goal and the vision of government to achieve UHC by 2030.
Mr Alagpulinsa said even though the UHC targets in the Region would not be easy to achieve “we are committed as a team to ensure that Upper East will become the first region in this country to achieve Universal Health Coverage”.
He said the district offices have embarked on effective institutional and market registration and sensitization on the application of the mobile renewal solution, including van announcements, radio discussions and Live Presenter Mentions (LPMs) on the relevance and the application of the mobile renewal solution to deliver on their membership drive towards UHC.
Mr Alagpulinsa said the Region has embarked on school and institutional registration and education on the use of the mobile renewal solution adding that “both Junior and Senior High Schools are targeted, especially those on the school feeding programme.”
He said the Authority has engaged the Department of Social Welfare to ensure that all Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) beneficiaries were encouraged to obtain NHIS cards.
The Regional Boss said chiefs and other opinion leaders were very instrumental in the identification and registration of indigent groups across the region with the support of the Department of Social Welfare adding that the Authority is collaborating with the Ghana Health Service to identify and register mental and tuberculosis patients among others.
Source: GNA