The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has increased its drug list and service fees, which will take effect on February 1, 2023. The NHIA hiked framework drugs by 50%, with an extra 30% marginal increase, according to a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency. It stated that non-framework drugs had been raised by 20%, and that service tariffs had been raised by 10% overall.  Arthmeter Injection 80mg/ml and Levoflaxacin Infusion 500mg/ml have been added to the NHIA medicine list and would now be reimbursed by the Scheme, according to the release. It asked all service or providers and the public to take note of the adjustment, which had been effected to correspond to the increase in prices of most active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API’S). 



Government of Ghana is encouraged to safeguard insurance investments made during economic restructuring

Insurance brokers in Ghana have urged the government to include steps to protect people's investments in the insurance sector in the 2023 Budget Statement and Economic Policy. The appeal comes as Ghana prepares to execute a domestic economic policy as part of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan support program to restore macroeconomic confidence and alleviate Ghanaians' current misery. According to data published by the National Insurance Commission (NIC), the insurance sector contributed 2% to GDP at the end of 2020, with an asset of GH8 billion and premiums of GH4.2 billion. Mr Shaibu Ali, President of the Insurance Brokers Association of Ghana (IBAG), who emphasized the insurance sector's role to economic growth and the assistance it provided to people in times of calamity, urged the government to ensure that any restructuring would not harm the sector. He stated this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during a media soiree to strengthen the interaction between IBAG and the media fraternity as part of events for this year's Broker Awareness Month. "We recognize that there is a problem, and that problem must be addressed head on," Mr Ali added, "but our investments must be protected by the government."

He stated that IBAG had begun training kids in various Senior High Schools across the country to dispel insurance myths, adding that "we need to demystify insurance, and we believe we can do so by getting closer to the younger ones still in school." Mr Stephen Kwarteng Yeboah, Vice President of IBAG, emphasized the need of protecting investment in the insurance sector and requested that the sector be excluded from any restructuring effort. "Because we cannot pay for the cost of borrowing, any restructuring should completely isolate the insurance sector, or it will be a disaster for the nation," Mr Yeboah added.
"When it comes to insurance, it is very delicate, and the day that people lose hope in the insurance company, we are dead," he continued, "and because we're already having problems with trust in the public, insurance is our last hope when everything is gone." Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that discussions with the IMF will not result in any investor losing money due to a drop in the face value of government bonds (hair cut).


 The National Insurance Commission advises importers to follow the provisions of the Local Insurance Act. 

Mr. Charles Ansong Dankyi, Senior Manager in Charge of Marketing and External Relations at the National Insurance Commission (NIC), has urged shippers to follow the Insurance Act and insure their goods in the country of origin. According to him, the Act requires that, with the exception of personal possessions, all products brought into Ghana be insured in the nation.  Mr. Dankyi stressed the benefits of purchasing marine insurance locally, such as foreign exchange savings, prompt payment of claims, simple access to the insurer, value for money, and ease. He noted that the NIC would increase its efforts to ensure that the Local Marine Insurance policy is accepted by players in the shipping and logistics industries. During the Greater Accra Regional Shipper Committee Meeting (GARSC) for the fourth quarter of 2022, Mr. Dankyi remarked.  The discussion at the Shippers' House came after members of the GARSC requested that the NIC be called to clarify the protocol that regulates the Marine Cargo Insurance Policy at their third quarter meeting.  Mr. Dankyi also stated that cargo insurance would be underwritten through the Insurers Portal, an electronic platform developed by the NIC to simplify the provision of local marine insurance. 
He further stated that the GRA will ensure that Cargo Certificate Insurance is issued through the portal. Mrs. Monica Josiah, Head of Shipper Services and Trade Facilitation at the Ghana Shippers' Authority (GSA), recommended importers to follow the legislation on Marine Cargo Insurance in order to avoid NIC fines. Members of the Committee expressed gratitude to the GSA and the NIC for giving clarification on critical issues relating to the Local Marine Insurance system.




NHIA service providers are being advised to avoid charging co-payments and other illegal fees in order to regain member trust.

Mr. Fred Appiah, Central Regional Director of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), remarked that the membership drive was critical to achieve the 2030 aim of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). He stated that raising tariffs and service costs, as well as improving claims reimbursement, were all measures to strengthen the plan. As a result, he urged the Authority's service providers to discontinue co-payments and illegal charges in order to help restore member faith in achieving and maintaining UHC for the benefit of the nation's health. Mr. Appiah made the announcement in a statement read on his behalf at a stakeholder engagement hosted by the NHIA's Awutu-Effutu-Senya District Office in Winneba, the capital of Effutu.
The focus of the meeting was "Accelerating membership growth to achieve and sustain Universal Health Coverage through technology mediums; the experience thus far." Mr. Appiah said that the NHIA established the Electronic receipting platform in 2018 to improve social auditing and revenue collection accountability at NHIA district offices around the country. This, he claimed, has significantly increased computerized reconciliation of its finances, as well as openness and efficiency in the scheme's financial operations. According to him, the government assisted the Authority's management in launching a mobile renewal mechanism in December 2018 to allow members whose cards had expired to conveniently renew their cards using mobile phones rather than walking to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) branch offices.

He stated that this innovation had resulted in a significant rise in the number of members who renewed their membership annually, hence boosting the scheme's population coverage. The Regional Director informed the audience that about 18 million people were currently active participants of the program, representing 56.72 percent of the population, up from 40 percent in 2019. He added that more than 80% of the total were old members who renewed their membership through the mobile application, and that the Central Region had an active membership of 1,278,180 as of November 2022, representing 44 percent of the population.
"The good news is that scheme management has gone a step further to allow people to use the mobile application to register as new members using their Ghana Card, and we should be applauded," he said. He urged NHIA stakeholders to spread the word, as insurance seeks to boost membership through the use of technology means. 'NHIA is the country's primary vehicle for achieving UHC, and it is predicted that at least 80% of the country's population must enroll in the NHIS this year,' he added. Mr Appiah emphasized the critical need for new solutions on all fronts if the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are to be met.
I'm happy to report that the benefit package, which covers 95% of illnesses in the nation, now includes 521 medications on the medications list, four new childhood malignancies, family planning services, and prostate cancer will soon be added, according to the regional director.