NHIA given powers to prosecute cases in court
The Attorney General’s Department has granted authority to the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to prosecute cases in court.
The Authority therefore, has the powers to prosecute cases such as false claims by service providers and all other illegal activities against the NHIA.
Mr George Oppong Danquah, Operations Manager of NHIA in charge of Ahafo, Bono and Bono East Regions made this known during an interaction with journalists in Sunyani on Monday.
He said the AG’s Department had subsequently trained in-house legal team of the Authority to among others things, facilitate successful and expeditious trial of cases.
The management of the NHIA, he also noted, was putting in place the requisite measures and infrastructure to fully implement an electronic means of submitting claims by all service providers by 2020, adding that piloting was ongoing with some service providers.
He said, “By 2020 claims management will be completely electronic. As it stands now some of the facilities submit e-claims while others submit to our designated claims processing centres (CPCs).”
Mr Danquah further stated that in an effort to safeguard the finances of the NHIS, it has procured of a state-of-the-art accounting software ‘sage’ which had consolidated the accounts of district offices across the country.
The uniform accounting system, he explained, served as a means of ensuring efficient financial management.
According to him, in January this year, the NHIS implemented a ‘mobile based application’ for enquiries and membership renewal. This, according to him, has significantly improved the active membership of the scheme.
Mr Danquah disclosed that the three regions; Ahafo, Bono and Bono East had 2019 annual target of 1,453,810 but as at the end of the second quarter, the active membership base stood at 1,407,710.
“As at June ending, the Scheme also registered 91,538 indigents in the three regions as against the annual target of 171,036,” he added.
FROM DANIEL DZIRASAH, SUNYANI
