Sylvester Mensah, NHIA Boss
Stakeholders of the National Health Insurance Scheme will this week converge for the NHIS annual stakeholders meeting to deliberate on the sustainability of the scheme.
The discussion would include brainstorming on the problematic one- time premium payment plan that has eluded the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.
This year’s engagement, which is on the theme, ‘Re-engineering the Financial Architecture of the NHIS’, comes off from December 20 to 21.
The forum provides a platform for key stakeholders of the NHIS. Deputy Director of Strategy and Corporate Affairs Dr Anang Adjetey pointed out that “the issues tabled for stakeholders’ consideration, mainly sustainability and the one-time premium payment policy, going forward, will help to clearly define the future policy direction for the scheme.”
On September 4, 2012, President John Dramani Mahama issued a set of policy directives to be implemented by the end of the year. Among other things, the President directed an evaluation and determination of the adequacy of the cost containment strategies of the NHIA.
The meeting, which is expected to be opened by H.E President John Dramani Mahama, will bring together various stakeholders from across the country. The forum will also be grounds for technical experts on the subject of social health financing to propose and discuss innovative ways of enhancing the sustainability of the NHIS which has become a model for many countries across the world.
The 2012 stakeholders’ engagement follows the coming into effect of the new law, Act 852, 2012 which governs the NHIS. The new law will also be launched at this year’s stakeholders’ meeting. Another side attraction to the meeting is the launch of the 2011 NHIA annual report.
