Mr Emmanuel Reinfred Okyere, Western Regional Director of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has divulged that his Office is embarking on an aggressive public campaign to create awareness on the operations of the Scheme in order to register more members.
He noted that the membership drive in 2020 was hampered contrary to their target with the emergence of COVID-19.
He recalled that in the light of the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 protocols, Scheme members were encouraged to use the mobile renewal platform to renew their membership by dialing the short code *929#.
He therefore implored members whose membership has expired to fall on the short code to renew their membership especially, now that COVID-19 is surging to avoid overcrowding in the Authority’s District Offices.
Mr Okyere who made the disclosure in an interview with Spice News explained that the options provided on the mobile renewal platform was the easiest way to get membership renewed and have all challenges resolved without person-to-person contact.
He added that, in November 2020, the Authority also made sure that all citizens were given the opportunity to have access to the Scheme during the National Health Insurance Scheme Week celebration.
Mr Okyere was happy to announce that the year 2020 saw massive improvement in claims management that resulted in the reduction of indebtedness to Providers.
The Regional Director hinted that, COVID-19 safety protocols have been put in place in all its offices in the region to ensure the safety of members and staff and to make sure that the disease is brought under control.
He refuted the claim that the Authority was issuing inferior medicines to its members and stated emphatically that the NHIA does not produce its own medicines contrary to the long held notion that NHIS produced medicines are not efficacious.
“Let me say that the NHIA does not own a Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company”, he stated categorically.
He said the Authority has put measures in place to increase the number of health facilities on the electronic claims submission to fast-track the process of claims management and urged all credentialed health care facilities to update the NHIA on any changes that may occur at their respective facilities.
Story: Seth Ameyaw Danquah
