Health Insurance Workers in the Central Region have vowed to maintain the spirit of hard work as the most effective and workable machinery to achieve the core objectives of the Health Insurance Policy.
Notwithstanding the operational challenges facing the scheme, nothing would change the collective and useful decision we have taken to better the lot of the Policy in the Central Region, the workers further stated.
These were stated in a resolution adopted at the end of an annual review meeting attended by heads of the various Health Insurance Authority departments at the Regional Office, district managers and their core officers at the university of Cape Coast.
It was on the theme “strategizing and improving our performance in the midst of all challenges.” The meeting afforded participants the opportunity to effectively assess the regions overall performance for the previous year, and adopted new and a more workable strategies to improve the performance of the branch schemes.
Spearheaded by the Regional Director of the NHIA, Mr. Francis Oti Frimpong, participants expressed the optimism that the strategies adopted at the end of the meeting would assist them achieve the performance target set for the Region this year.
According to the workers, in spite of the teething challenges facing the Policy, they were prepared more than ever, to embark on extra hard work as they exhibited during the past year, to ensure that Hundreds of Thousands of NHIS Clients in the Central Region were provided appreciable service from all the Branch Schemes to carve excellent image for the Scheme.
Mr. Francis Oti Frimpong, described as remarkable the selfless performance displayed by NHIA employees in the region last year and strongly advised them to work harder to enable the region to exceed the 850,024 membership target it has set for itself by the end of the year.
The Regional Director emphasized on the strategic direction of the Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Samuel Yaw Annor, which centred on a 4-Point Fundamental Pillars designed to promote the aims and objectives of the Scheme.
They included, additional source of Funding by increasing the NHIA levy on Vat from 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent, implementation of electronic claims management to improve efficiency and minimize fraud, internal police force improvement, and amending the NHIS law to make crime against the scheme more punitive to deter others who intends to defraud the scheme.
Mr. Oti Frimpong said with hard work coupled with selfless devotion to duty, NHIS workers in the Region could sustain and maintain the trust and confidence reposed in them by the management of the National Health Insurance Authority.
He, therefore, urged every employee of the NHIA in the Region to always consider the Scheme as his or her personal venture and learn to explore all useful qualities in him or her to move the Policy forward.
Mr. John Awuku-Ahevi, Central Regional operational manager of the NHIA, said as at the end of December, 2017, the number of active NHIS membership for the Region stood at 717,759 representing 84 percent of the Region’s targeted 850,024 registered Clients.
He mentioned Ejumako-Enyan-Essiam (AEE), Asikuma –Odoben-Brakwa (AOB), and Cape Coast Metro (CCM) Schemes as Branch Schemes which performed very well on the whole during the year under review taking into consideration the relevant key performance indicators (KPIS).
Mr. Awuku-Ahevi said other District Branches in the Region performed below 58.3 percent, being the Regional Performance Average.
He attributed the judicious use of consumables, occasional institutional outreach registrations, and intensive publicity as the key factors which yielded excellent results for the Schemes which performed splendid work last year.
The Regional Operational Manager listed challenges like, understaffing, frequent breakdown of equipment, and logistical constraints as the causes of the poor performance of the Schemes.
Mr. Wiliam Omane Adjekum, a Director of the Cape Coast office, who presided over the meeting commended the NHIA workers in the Region for their deep sense of commitment and preparedness to put up their best to keep the work moving in the midst of some Operational setbacks.
He called on District, Municipal, and Metropolitan Schemes in the Region to intensify their Educational activities on the NHIS activities to pave the way for greater achievements.
GNA
