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Report by Edward FRIMPONG
In a bid to consolidate the partnership between the USAID PROPEL Health Ghana and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), the country Director, Dr. Demi Duah, visited the Authority’s Head Office in Accra.
Dr. Demi Duah’s working visit sought to explore new areas of cooperation between the two organizations.
The meeting focused on PROPEL Health Ghana’s proposal to research the integration and impact of Family Planning (FP) services embedded in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Benefit Package.
Dr. Demi Duah said the PROPEL Health is a USAID initiative working with local actors to improve conditions for more equitable and sustainable health services, supplies, and delivery systems, especially in the areas of family planning and reproductive health and its integration with HIV, maternal and child health, and primary healthcare.
“So, the purpose of our business here today is, our fiscal year is ending, and we have begun work on the research that we have proposed to conduct with the research unit of the NHIA on the Family Planning Benefit Package as well as areas where we can develop some operational research tools for the NHIA for decision making.”
She highlighted, “Since the nationwide rollout of the NHIS, there has been no comprehensive review of the family planning services. Our initiative aims to bridge this gap by evaluating the integration and utilization of family planning services within the NHIS framework.
“We are committed to collaborating closely with the NHIA’s research unit to ensure that the tools developed are robust and effective. These tools will provide vital data for informed decision-making, contributing to the success and sustainability of the NHIS.”
Dr. Demi Duah anticipated that findings from the research would assist the NHIA in reviewing progress made and making the necessary adjustments going forward.
She expressed a desire to affiliate the NHIA’s strategic objectives with the PROPEL Health’s initiatives saying, “By understanding your key strategies, we can tailor our support to maximize impact and contribute meaningfully to your objectives.”
She said the meeting was also to discuss how to align PROPEL’s fiscal year activities with the NHIA’s strategic objectives.
“By understanding your key strategies, we can tailor our support to maximize impact and contribute meaningfully to your objectives.”
Dr. Demi Duah commended the NHIA Governing Board and Executive Management for a successful launch of the Free Annual Health Check for all residents in Ghana.
For his part, the NHIA Chief Executive, Dr. Da-Costa Aboagye expressed gratitude to the USAID PROPEL management for the unflinching collaborative efforts.
He outlined his 4-point vision for the NHIA, having to do with, Promotive and Preventive Healthcare, curbing illegal charges by credentialled healthcare providers for services covered by the NHIS, issuing Ghana Cards to children aged 6-14 and also a mandatory NHIS coverage of foreign visitors to Ghana.
He highlighted the importance of PROPEL Health’s support in improving NHIS services and reiterated the Authority’s commitment to achieving UHC, focusing on promotive and preventive health.
Dr. Aboagye called for funding support from PROPEL Health Ghana to launch and scale up the ongoing NIA and NHIA collaborative registration of 6.3 million children aged 6-14 and as well merge the Ghana cards with the NHIS cards.
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