GNEMHO supports Act on National Health Insurance Scheme

Koforidua, Nov. 28, GNA - The Council of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has been asked to consult with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and come out with the appropriate status of students under 18 years studying outside the districts where their parents contribute to the plan.

The Network of Mutual Health Organisations of Ghana (GNEMHO), which made the call, expressed the hope that it would help allay the anxieties of parents contributing to health insurance schemes, students and school authorities in case the students fall ill while in school.

These were contained in an 11-point communiqu=E9 issued at the end of the Fourth Annual Peer Review Conference of GNEMHO at Koforidua on Saturday.

About 230 participants from over 100 districts and five private Mutual Health Schemes attended the four-day conference, which was on the theme: "Implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme - Prospects and challenges for mutual health organizations".

The communiqu=E9 supported Act 650 and LI 11089 on the NHIS and appealed to government to ensure the early release of the subvention for District Workers and Mutual Health Insurance Schemes (DWMHIS) directly and on time into the schemes accounts, saying after the first financial support about a year ago, nothing had been released so far. The statement appealed to district assemblies, through the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, to cooperate with DWMHIS to seek funding for public education on the NHIS.

It also urged service providers of the scheme to ensure the successful implementation of the plan.

The communiqu=E9 urged government to make it clear to the public that in the transition from "Cash and Carry" to the NHIS, only members of schemes who have served their mandatory waiting period who could benefit from the Scheme.

It urged the management and staff of the schemes to offer attractive conditions of service to attract and retain qualified personnel who were now receiving allowances.

The communiqu=E9 suggested that Mutual Health Organisations, which were not profit-oriented, be considered for funding by government to enable them to serve their members adequately.