NHIS Set To Make Treatment of Prostate Cancer Free

Prostate cancer treatment and medication will be added to the list of cancers treated without charge under the program starting in 2023, according to the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

This is following the conclusion of actuarial studies that the scheme completed demonstrating its viability and practicality, and is wrapping up with other last-minute preparations for launch.

When the board and management visited President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at Jubilee House in Accra to tell him about the work of the plan and ask him to sign certain new policies, Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye, the chief executive of the NHIA, made this announcement.

At the end of January 2017, he said, there were no pediatric cancers covered by the program; however, just recently, four pediatric cancers—representing 80% of all pediatric cancers in Ghana—were included and made part of the program.

He said that the regimen now included hydroxyurea, a highly effective medication that helps Sickle Cell sufferers live a high-quality life, as well as Herceptin, a critical therapy for the treatment of breast cancer.

Claims

Dr. Okoe-Boye stated that as of 2017, there had been over a year’s worth of arrears payments, totaling more than GH1 billion, but that the arrears had been reduced to eight months, meaning that after subtracting the three months for processing and vetting, there would be about four or five months remaining.

In comparison to the past, he said five months was a good amount of time, but he was certain that the way the program was going, it could clear all the places in the smallest amount of time.

Challenges

Speaking of some of the difficulties the program faces, he said that the processing costs of GH6 and the premium of GH25 were first implemented more than 17 years ago and that occasionally the program spent more on processing.

He continued by saying that since the premium for individuals who weren’t SSNIT contributors had been set at GH 26 for 16 years, it needed to be revised.

Conclusion

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