The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has hooked its clients on a new platform that allows them to renew their annual membership on their mobile phones using *842*10#.
The system would also permit the members to make electronic receipting payments through mobile money platforms on all networks.
Mr Francis Oti Frempong, Central Regional Director of the NHIA, explained that the initiative formed the beginning of the total digitalization of the system to enrol new clients unto the National Health Insurance Scheme (HHIS).
The submission, processing and payment of claims, he indicated, will all be on the new system to support Government’s efforts towards achieving universal health coverage.
Mr Frempong was speaking at the Regional Multi- Stakeholder on Health held in Cape Coast on Tuesday.
It was organized by HERO NETWORK in collaboration with STAR Ghana Foundation on the theme “Ensuring sustainable Access to Quality Health Service in Central Region”.
The new system would enable the Scheme to crosscheck from their clients to confirm if they had visited a health facility that had submitted claims for services, he said.
It is expected to reduce overcrowding associated with renewal of subscription and help raise the number of active members of the Scheme above the current active membership of 11 million.
He indicated that the system would further ensure that service providers electronically submit their claims, which would help in fast processing and early payment of service providers.
To check abuses, the needy, would need to provide documents from the Social Welfare Departments to confirm their status to enable them to be exempted from the payment of subscriptions.
She therefore appointed out that, the staff and service providers who engaged in fraud would be prosecuted.
Mr George Osei-Bimpeh, Director of SEND Country Ghana/ Chair CSOs platform on SEND, also urged the government and stakeholders to support the NHIA to achieve improved health care delivery.
This, he noted, would help the country attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) on health before 2030 and improve the welfare of the citizenry to significantly impact positively on the country.
