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Member of Parliament for Central Tongu in the Volta Region, Alexander Roosevelt Hottordze has proposed an amendment to the National Health Insurance Act, 852 to include preventive and promotive services.
These, he said, should be part of the package of services at the Primary Health Care (PHC) level that is reimbursed by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
He argued that implementing this proposal will accelerate the provision of medicare as Ghana strives towards the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
In a statement that he read on the floor of Parliament on Friday, Hon. Hottordze argued Ghana as a country needs to align with prominent global health policies for the movement towards UHC.
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He noted that an effective PHC system is key to a well-functioning health system and the foundation for UHC.
The MP averred that Ghana’s National Health Policy document, “Creating Wealth through Health” (Sept. 2007), acknowledges PHC as the basis of health development which is implemented through the national strategy for “Community-based Health Planning and Services” (CHPS).
The World Health Assembly (WHA) of the World Health Organization (WHO), he said, urged member states in 2005 to aim at achieving affordable universal coverage and access to key promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health interventions for all their citizens based on equity and solidarity.
He said, “UHC means that all people and communities can use promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services they need, and of sufficient quality, while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose them to financial hardships.”
“Indeed, UHC requires that all people obtain the health services they need without the risk of severe financial problems linked to paying for them at the point of access.”
“It is for this reason that for the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, all UN Member States including Ghana have agreed to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030.”
Mr. Hottordze acknowledged that Ghana is in a unique position to achieve the global agenda of UHC with the implementation of the CHPS compounds and National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
According to him, it is, therefore, a great concern the NHIS is focused solely on reimbursement of only curative services and not public health services at the primary health care level.
The situation, he said, is affecting the work of Community Health Nurses and Health Officers and derailing the role of CHPS in the country.
He warned that the situation if allowed to continue, will derail the match towards the achievement of the Universal Health Coverage Agenda 2020 recently adopted in Astana.
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Frontpageghana.com/Ghana
