The U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Virginia Palmer has announced $5 million in new U.S. funding to improve the performance of the National Health Insurance Scheme and ensure quality of health services in Ghana.
The Ambassador joined the Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, to launch the new, five-year partnership.
The USG funding will support the digitization of NHIA processes, make available the Scheme’s performance data, and will ensure that health services delivery is safe and effective.
Ambassador Palmer at the launch event said, “The health sector is at the core of Ghana’s development. It is essential for the wellbeing of all Ghanaians that funding for health is prioritized. A healthy population is the basis for a prosperous population.”
The NHIA-USG partnership aims to improve NHIA’s capacity to digitalize all its information systems. Digitalization will make data available to NHIA to better communicate the Scheme’s financial and programmatic status to stakeholders.
The partnership will also focus on building NHIA systems to monitor clinical quality of health care services. This actionable clinical data will help NHIA advocate for improved quality of care across public, faith-based, and private health care facilities contributing to improved health outcomes across Ghana.
USAID’s integrated health programming supports the Government of Ghana in the areas of health system strengthening, maternal, reproductive, newborn and child health, as well as malaria, HIV, social protection, water, sanitation and hygiene, global health security, and Covid-19. USAID supports the Government of Ghana to build a more resilient health system and prepare Ghana to face future health emergencies.
According to the NHIA, 20 million people have been enrolled onto the national health insurance scheme (NHIS) with 17 million active members. The CEO of the Authority, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, says the USAID funds will strengthen the system.
‘‘This partnership is the phase 2 and it is about to commence. The key in the partner has to do with engaging in activities that will guarantee quality of service when you visit over 3000 facilities that are accredited by the NHIS. We do quality audits and these audits are done by the NHIS with the support of USAID’’.
Speaking at the launch a Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei-Asare, noted that government is adopting various measures to reset the economy.
‘‘Government has adopted post covid-19 program for economic growth called the PC-PEG. The first is to aggressively mobilize domestic revenue, second is to streamline and rationalize our expenditures. That is to cut down some of these expenditures that some of our own ambassadors and foreign partners are asking us to look at’’.
She also added ‘‘Again, government is also boosting local productive capacity which is very necessary for our recovery’’.
About USAID
USAID is the lead U.S. Government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. USAID’s activities and strategic partnerships support Ghana to advance an integrated approach to development. It promotes accountability, sustainable systems, and inclusive development.
Source: JoyOnline