The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) that started less than a decade ago, albeit with some uncertainties, has made some appreciable gains.
When it was introduced nationwide, some felt that the government was hasty with a policy that was facing challenges, even in the most advanced countries.
Health financing is a headache for the authorities in countries such as Canada, which is celebrated as the country with the most successful scheme all over the world.
At birth, the challenges of the NHIS was not only about funding but political as well because as a campaign promise, others were not very enthused to support the government to implement it.
The Daily Graphic has always cited the GETFund to buttress this argument because of the way the fund is being used to update educational infrastructure in the country although we all know the wranglings that greeted its introduction in Parliament.
We think the impact of these policies ?on our national development efforts should signal a change in the body politic such that notwithstanding our political differences, we shall all embrace social intervention policies.
In spite of the modest gains chalked up by the NHIS, there are still challenges that the authorities must deal with as soon as possible to sustain the people?s confidence in the scheme.
There is currently an agitation by service providers in the Ashanti Region for the suspension of the capitation in the region until the whole country is ready for the initiative.
Service providers still complain about the delay in the reimbursement of funds used by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in providing services to patients.
People seeking healthcare services have also on a number of occasions complained that service providers are unwilling to extend services to them, with the excuse that they have not been paid.
The scheme has been in existence for about a decade now and we think some of the teething problems should have been resolved by now.
The Daily Graphic concedes that a nationwide scheme in an economy which is itself tottering cannot be without challenges but these challenges are gradually becoming a euphemism for mere excuses for the inability of the NHIA to meet set targets.
Nonetheless, all is not gloom and doom as the NHIA is doing its best to address the operational challenges.
The authority has managed to reduce the waiting time for ID cards considerably and many people are willing to register with the scheme, unlike the past when there were no clear timelines for the delivery of cards.
The challenges will not go away immediately but the people expect to see signs of commitment by the officials of the NHIA to deliver quality service to its clients.
The Daily Graphic, however, commends the NHIA for working to achieve the social protection objectives of the scheme by registering over one million indigents freely this year.
Health financing is a kind of social insurance against bad times, especially for indigents who cannot fall on their pay or savings to seek healthcare in times of need.
Such people cannot register with the scheme if the scheme has no provision for social protection borne largely by able-bodied people who have the capacity to contribute to the scheme.
Mr Sylvester Mensah, the Chief Executive of the NHIA, has promised to pay all the claims by the service providers very soon and although he did not give a specific time frame, he will do well to honour his pledge to the service providers to give uninterrupted services to the people.
We cannot wish away the challenges facing the NHIS but we should all embrace the scheme, which offers the best solution to health financing in the world; at least for now.
Daily Graphic ?December 30,? 2013
