NHIA pays GH¢402m to health facilities
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has started disbursing an additional GH¢402 million to mixed tier health facilities across the country.
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The amount covers claims received and vetted for June and July this year.
It brings to GH¢802 million the total amount disbursed in September this year.
An initial GH¢400 million was paid to the health facilities on September 3, 2024, to cover outstanding claims for April and May this year.
The Chief Executive of NHIA, Dr Da-Costa Aboagye, in a statement explained that out of the GH¢402 million, public health facilities had received GH¢224,504,423.93, which constituted 55.85 per cent of the total amount.
He said private health facilities had been allocated GH¢107,061,223.40, representing 26.63 per cent, quasi-public health facilities had received GH¢5,588,333.12, accounting for 1.39 per cent, while mission health facilities had been alloted GH¢64,846,019.90, which made up 16.13 per cent of the total funds.
"The NHIA's continuous efforts to release funds in a timely manner are intended to ensure that outstanding payments are within the agreed three-month reimbursement period.
"This payment not only clears the debt gap but also demonstrates our commitment to a robust and efficient healthcare system",” he said.
He said the payments were in fulfilment of the NHIA’s mandate as a payer of healthcare services for disease conditions prescribed in the NHIS Benefit Package.
“The NHIS Benefit Package covers over 95 per cent of disease conditions that afflict residents and is supported with over 550 formulations on the NHIS medicines list to take care of all the diseases covered under the scheme,” he said.
He expressed gratitude to all healthcare providers for their dedication and support in delivering quality healthcare to Ghanaians.
He emphasised NHIA’s resolve to continue engaging with stakeholders to address any concerns, and to work collaboratively towards a sustainable and efficient healthcare system.
Payment history
On August 17, 2024, the NHIA released GH¢151 million to cover claims from March, 2024 for higher-tier healthcare providers and from April, 2024 for lower-tier facilities.
This was preceded by a GH¢135.6 million payment in July, which settled claims up to February 2024 for higher-tier providers and up to March 2024 for lower-tier facilities.
Additionally, on April 30, 2024, the NHIA released GH¢170,775,035.07 to cover predominantly claims of January and February 2024 for lower-tier facilities that form the majority of healthcare providers, and up to November 2023 for upper-tier facilities and healthcare providers.
Furthermore, on March 22, 2024, the NHIA paid GH¢180 million to various categories of healthcare providers across the country for claims submitted and vetted up to December 2023.
On February 13, 2024, the NHIA paid GH¢130,244,000.00 to 4,850 Mission, Public, Private, and Quasi-Public healthcare providers nationwide, largely for claims submitted for the month of October 2023.
These payments demonstrate the NHIA's commitment to supporting healthcare providers and ensuring the sustainability of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Commitment
Dr Aboagye said the prompt payment of claims in recent times demonstrated the NHIA’s commitment at improving the timeliness of payments to ensure the continued provision of quality healthcare services to NHIS subscribers and supporting the operational needs of healthcare facilities.
“The NHIA's recent financial outlays reflect its ongoing efforts to address outstanding claims and enhance the sustainability of the NHIS.
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“It has been actively working to settle outstanding claims from healthcare providers across the country, with several significant payments made in recent months,” he said.
Dr Aboagye expressed gratitude to healthcare providers for their dedication and underscored the NHIA's commitment to engage with stakeholders to improve service delivery, claims processing and payments.
He said the NHIA remained dedicated to maintaining a comprehensive coverage under the NHIS, which currently addresses over 95 per cent of disease conditions, and included more than 550 medications on the NHIS medicines list.