142 Views Posted on 20-May-2011 under Health

NHIA selects 27 Ashanti districts for pilot programme
Twenty-seven districts in the Ashanti Region have been selected by the National Health Insurance Authority to pilot the “capitation programme”, which takes-off in July this year.
The programme is a payment system under which accredited health care providers would receive advance payment at a pre-determined fixed rate, to provide defined package of services to each subscriber.
Ms Beatrice Appah, Offinso Municipal Director of Health Services, announced these at a stakeholders meeting, organized by the Offinsoman Mutual Health Insurance Scheme, to educate the people on the scheme.
He said if the pilot becomes successful, it would be replicated throughout the country.
Ms Appah said the capitation programme sought to help prevent delays in payment of claims to service providers adding that there would be no limit on the number of times enrolled subscribers could seek services.
The package would include maternity consultation, post-natal and normal delivery, primary healthcare at the Out-Patients-Department, medicines, routine laboratory and urine examination.
Ms Appah said the capitation would cover only disease conditions under the National Health Insurance Scheme, classified as primary health care.
Mr Bernard Opoku, Manager of the Offinsoman Scheme, said a 10-member committee had been formed to educate the people on the importance of the new system, which would be extended to churches, mosques and institutions.