The Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr Da-Costa Aboagye, has called for an immediate halt to the imposition of unauthorised charges on National Health Insurance Scheme beneficiaries at healthcare facilities.

He indicated these fees were not sanctioned by the authority and that it has negatively impacted public perception of the NHIS and made it unpopular.

Dr Aboagye made the call during the commissioning ceremony of the Lower Manya Krobo NHIA District office complex at Odumase in the Eastern region.

He stressed the detrimental impact of these unauthorised charges and called for the need to uphold the integrity and guarantee accessibility of the NHIS to all eligible members.

He said the NHIS aimed to provide financial access to quality health care for citizens, but some health facilities were undermining its progress, adding, "Any provider who goes contrary to the agreed principles would be sanctioned."

He stated that such actions undermined the purpose and effectiveness of the NHIS in providing affordable healthcare services to Ghanaians.

Dr Aboagye highlighted the importance of eliminating these extraneous costs to restore public trust in the NHIS and ensure equitable access to quality healthcare for all citizens.

He called for stringent measures to be implemented to address these illicit practices and protect the rights of NHIS beneficiaries.

The NHIS covers some aspects of out-patient and in-patient services, maternity care, childhood cancers, family planning and eye care.

According to Dr Aboagye, NHIA has made a significant enhancement in claims payment, disbursing an average of GH₵180 million monthly for claims reimbursement.

Recently, he said approximately GH₵171 million were allocated to mixed tiers, with lower-tier payments spanning January and February 2024, and upper-tier payments reaching back to November 2023 claims.

He also mentioned that the Medicines list and tariff are currently undergoing review to align with economic and epidemiological trends.

In terms of the government's digitalisation initiatives, Dr Aboagye revealed that the NHIA was collaborating with the National Identification Authority to issue Ghana Cards to individuals aged six to 14 years.

This integration would allow for the consolidation of NHIS member details with the Ghana Card, enabling the merged card to serve as a healthcare access tool and potentially eliminating the need for separate NHIS card printing costs.

The Eastern Regional Operations Manager of the NHIA, Harry Thompson Baffour, said that the region has a total of 20 district offices, with six operating in rented apartments and the rest, consisting of 14, benefiting from office accommodations provided by the NHIA and the Municipal and District Assemblies.

The Lower Manya Krobo District office complex features a data room, a reception area, a Management Information System, and offices for the Manager and Public Relations personnel.

Mr Baffour further mentioned that the regional office was committed to ensuring that the office complex is properly maintained.

After the successful commissioning ceremony, the NHIA CEO, accompanied by his entourage, proceeded to the Okuapeman palace in Akropong for a social gathering.