NHIS to cover child cancers, family planning

• Posted on November 16, 2021November 16, 2021
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

-In a move to achieve Universal Health Coverage – First Lady 

Government has announced that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) will cover childhood cancers starting from January 2022 to reduce the financial barriers that people experience when accessing health services.

4 types of childhood cancers to be covered
This means NHIS benefits package will include four types of childhood cancer, namely Burkitt lymphoma, retinoblastoma, Wilms tumour and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

60% of all child cancers
These four cancers constitute about 60% of childhood cancers in Ghana. 

NHIS week launched 
First Lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, who announced this at the launch of the NHIS week, indicated that in addition to the free treatment of cancer, the provision of family planning services would also help achieve rapid Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.

NHIS to cover family planning services
Mrs Akufo-Addo said the addition of childhood cancer and family planning services to the NHIS benefit package is essential, as it places no strain on the scheme.

Cost-effective and can improve survival of children with cancers
“It is cost-effective, feasible and can improve survival of children with cancers. The inclusion of the family planning would also help to improve maternal and child mortality outcomes,” she explained.
Mrs Akufo-Addo urged all to see cancer control as a priority health agenda and increase awareness on early detection to increase better outcomes for children.
“Our children deserve to live a long productive life, to enable them to compete successfully with any other child in the world. Let us increase awareness on early detection to prevent further spread of the disease,” she said.

No waiting period
The First Lady also announced that there will be no waiting period after renewal, as everyone would have the opportunity to free healthcare right after registering or renewing membership.
“Ghanaians who register or renew their NHIS membership will enjoy automatic activation,” Mrs Akufo-Addo stressed.
She noted that to achieve UHC, more people need to enrol on the NHIS and be provided with improved healthcare delivery on a sustainable basis.

Ghana Card to help enrol everyone on NHIS
Speaking on the theme: ‘NHIS: Using the Ghana Card for Expanded Health Service’, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr Lydia Dsane-Selby, said the scheme would leverage data from the NHIA to boost enrolment.
She noted that in this era of technological advancement, it was relevant government was focusing on information technology to leverage business.
Dr Dsane-Selby encouraged all to link their NHIS Card with the Ghana Card and urged new members to enrol on the scheme. She called on inactive members to renew their membership and enjoy the benefit that comes with being a member.
“At this opportune time, the linkage provides an opportunity to quality health care services and to make the health services available to all Ghanaians,” she disclosed.

Accommodation of benefit package
The CEO of the NHIA explained that the treatment of childhood cancers is less expensive and that there is a 90% survival rate on a global stage, with Ghana now having a 37% survival rate.
On family planning, she noted that after the two-year piloting of family planning in nine districts, the cost is bearable with all the modalities working well.
“With this new benefit on the scheme, we are encouraged to do more and we will continue to vigorously include every resident on the Ghana Card to the NHIS,” Dr Dsane-Selby said.
She added that with continuous engagement with key stakeholders, the NHIS would continue to expand its services to provide other benefit packages to healthcare services that were not covered under the NHIS.  
Dr Dsane-Selby said the NHIA was working towards the achievement of Universal Health Coverage for Ghanaians by 2030 and expressed worry that though 80% of the population was captured on the NHIS database, only 52% of the population is active because of the unwillingness to renew their membership.
 
15.1m active subscribers
“The issue is staying active because it requires annual activation – and at this moment, we have 15.1 million active subscribers.”
She urged everyone to take up the responsibility of renewing the NHIS for their family and friends.
Govt will support NHIS
The Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, indicated that government would continue to support NHIS operations to ensure that its finances are released on time to solve the problems of unpaid bills to healthcare providers.
“Government will also focus on improving infrastructure, equipment and laboratory facilities in the health sector,” he said
Mr Agyeman-Manu commended the NHIS on raising awareness of cancer and its inclusion on the scheme.

By Thelma Naa Anercho ABBEY, Accra