KINTAMPO NORTH NHIS HOLDS AGM (PAGE 40)

Story: Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah, Kintampo

THE Kintampo North District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme (KNDMHIS) has  registered 44.9 per cent of the district’s population, as of December 2007, as against the initial low coverage of 11.5 per cent.
It is envisaged that with the support of all stakeholders, the board of directors and management would exceed a set target of 60 per cent coverage by the close of the year.
Until then, the Kintampo District was split into two, namely Kintampo North and Kintampo South in 2004, the scheme was managed together till March, 2006.
At the time of the split, the population of the Kintampo North was 75,415 out of the total population of 146,770, according to the 2000 Population Census, with a  three per cent population growth rate.
As of December 2007, the Kintampo North scheme had registered 35,989 people, representing 44.98 per cent of the North District population.
Addressing the fourth annual general meeting of the scheme at Kintampo, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr Emmanuel Teye Adjase, disclosed that the scheme had so far mobilised GH¢ 480,982.92 from both the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and local sources.
 He said for the 2007 operational year, a total of 62,673 clients received treatment from the accredited health facilities.
According to Dr Adjase, more than GH¢ 453,219.9494 was paid to the various health facilities in and outside the district to cater for bills submitted on health care services provided to clients under the year under review.       
He stated that the top 10 diseases for out-patients attendance were malaria, eye infection, acute respiratory infection, diarrhoea, intestinal worms, upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), pregnancy-related complications, hypertension and pneumonia.
Dr Adjase cited the successes of the scheme to include the enrolment coverage of about 45 per cent, good and cordial working relations with clients and health care providers, prompt vetting of claims forms, prompt payment of medical bills, prompt and timely preparation of financial statements, among others.
He mentioned distorted information to communities by unknown people on the operation of the scheme and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) benefit package, poor attitude of some community collectors towards the registration process and premium collection and politicisation of the NHIS policy as some of the challenges facing the scheme in the district.
The board chairman gave the assurance that for the 2008/2009 registration period, the management expected to cover and maintain at least 60 per cent of the entire district population in the scheme as contained in its three-year business plan.
To achieve that, Dr Adjase said the board and the management would consciously pursue vigorous enrolment policies such as work place registration to capture all SSNIT contributors within the district and strengthen payment in instalments through the use of membership contribution cards to soften the burden of full payment of registered members during renewal.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Kintampo North, Mr Awudulai Razak, commended the board and the management as well as staff of the scheme for their hard work.
Earlier, the DCE and the board chairman jointly inaugurated an office complex for the scheme, constructed by the district assembly at GH¢ 49,800 from its share of the District Assemblies’ Common Fund.

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