The Minister of Health has approved a revised National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Medicines List effective August 1, 2013. Required by law to be renewed annually, the list ensures that medicine prices reflect market trends.Director of Planning, Research and Development at the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Osei Boateng Acheampong, believes the prices on this year’s list are suitable for patients.In an interview with JoyNews he said; “Since the last time we reviewed the prices of the medicines, our prices have changed”.Before the renewal, the NHIA conducts a pricing survey across Ghana, collecting data on medicine prices. This information is then analyzed and used in the list renewal in order to make necessary changes.Patients have expressed concern about not having access to certain medicines on the list. According to Acheampong however, the renewed list will solve this problem.“Part of the reason why people didn’t have those medicines was because of the facilities and pharmacies felt that the prices were too low,” he says. “We are very hopeful that we have come out with prices that will be acceptable by all.”According to Pharmaceutical Service Manager, Ruby Aileen Mensah, there are many factors in deciding which medicines are excluded and included each year.The revised list removed seven and added three medicines. Two of the medicines have altered strengths.“The additions were upon recommendations from some groups,” Mensah says. These recommendations justified many of the changes made to the list.The Human Tetanus Globulins Injection and the Benzyl Benzoate Lotion for example, were included in higher strengths in this year’s list.According to Mensah, these strengths better suit the needs of patients.