Greater Accra NHIS Support and Coordination Committee inaugurated

Accra, May 3, GNA - The Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council on Tuesday inaugurated a 17-member committee to oversee to the effective implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the Region.

The Support and Coordination Committee, chaired by Ms Gloria Akuffo, Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, is expected to support the setting up of District and Sub-Metro Mutual Health Insurance Schemes through the provision of technical support to the districts. Sheikh Ibrahim Cudjoe Quaye, Greater Accra Regional Minister, in his inaugural address explained that though the Committee had been working on the ground for sometime now, it had to be strengthened to help to accelerate the pace of implementation of the Scheme in the Region.

He said it had become necessary that a fast track approach was adopted at both Regional and District levels to push the NHI agenda forward.

"This will ensure that the National Health Insurance Scheme's policies and directives filter through the establishment of decentralized structures to the grassroots and likewise plans, suggestions and implementation difficulties are routed through the same channel to the national organisational structures," he said. The terms of reference of the committee include regular review and monitoring of progress made in the implementation of the NHIS in the districts, to support and strengthen public and private sector health providers and to streamline their participation in the scheme. Others are to support public education and the provision of information on the scheme in the Region and assess current implementation strategies at the district and regional levels and recommend shift in strategy if necessary.

Ms Akuffo commended the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) for its support and appealed to other organisations to come to their aid with support such as vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles and digital cameras, among other things, to accelerate effective implementation of the scheme in the region.