The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has paid as promised under the Free Dialysis Coverage programme for patient categories that are particularly vulnerable. This project, which was introduced in June of this year and requires a significant financial commitment to some healthcare providers, was approved by Parliament and is included in the NHIA’s Allocation Formula for 2024.
Healthcare facilities will get payments totalling GHS 4.4 million under this new agreement. The GHS 2.4 million from the NHIA’s fiscal year Corporate Social Responsibility Budget plus the GHS 2 million from the Allocation Formula make up this total.
A statement signed by Dr. Da-Costa Aboagye, the acting chief executive of NHIA, said, “In line with this new initiative, the six providers, namely Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH), Efia Nkwanta Regional Hospital (ENRH), Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH), Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), all submitted their respective lists of chronic dialysis patients who received treatment in June and have since been paid a total of GHS 58.
Each hospital has the following allocation:
- Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital: GHS 96,236.00
- Cape Coast Teaching Hospital: GHS 77,578.00
- Efia Nkwanta Regional Hospital: GHS 92,308.00
- Ho Teaching Hospital: GHS 83,470.00
- Tamale Teaching Hospital: GHS 57,938.00
- Korle Bu Teaching Hospital: GHS 179,706.00
Additionally, patients who might have paid for their own care in July were promised full reimbursement in accordance with the authorised sums for their individual categories in the statement.
Under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), patients who are 60 years of age or more and who are 18 years of age or younger will receive all eight (8) free dialysis sessions per month from June to December 2024. Dialysis will be provided twice a month to patients between the ages of 19 and 59 who are receiving treatment at KATH, CCTH, ENRH, HTH, and TTH, with the exception of KBTH. Adult patients (ages 19 to 59) undergoing treatment at KBTH will be compensated with a monthly subsidy for two (2) dialysis sessions; this means that the NHIA will pay for half of the two sessions’ cost.