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It’s all good and well as the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Membership Mobile Renewal Service is having a massive impact on the Scheme’s over 11 million members resident in Ghana.
Via a dedicated short code *929#, the awards winning innovation allows members to sit in the comfort of their homes, offices, chop bars, clubs, markets, trotros, farms and renew their membership.
In a Vox Pop conducted nationwide using the random sampling technique, the Scheme’s beneficiaries praised the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) for a job well done.
According to them, the Mobile Renewal Service has given them unrestricted degree of freedom to have reliable information about the NHIS rather than going to the district offices for assistance.
My name is Hajia Ayishetu from Tolon, Northern Region. “I am a business woman. This year, I am able to renew three of my children, their health cards through the health insurance mobile renewal system. It was very easy for me. I didn’t waste much time to go to the health insurance office to do the renewal, it is Okay for me.”
I am Alhassan Awal from Savelugu, Northern Region. I am an Engineer. “I have done the NHIS online mobile renewal. I have been able to renew for my two kids, my wife and I. It’s very convenient, reliable and time saving. You don’t need to go through the usual stressful process before you get your cards renewed and we appreciate the process.”
My name is Abubakari Alhassan, Karaga-Northern Region. I am a Mechanic. “I have been with the NHIS since President Kufuor and now I have seen a lot of innovations. Usually, my hometown people do call me they want to do their health insurance, they come here and we go through the process for about three days before they could get it done but now they call me and the renewal is simple. I will simply ask them to send mobile money and I would take the NHIS code to renew it with immediate effect, in less than 30minutes.”
I am Rukaya Adam, a student, Zabzugu-Northern Region. “Yes, I have used the mobile renewal system, it’s very nice. You can sit in the comfort of your home and renew; you need not to queue, it’s a nice initiative and we are grateful.”
Samuel Mbura, a Journalist at Zaare- Upper East Region. “I have used the National Health Insurance Mobile App for renewal and also to check the list of medicine covered by the scheme. It is very easy to use, simple and convenient. I just dialled the code and followed the prompts. I prefer using the mobile app to going to the scheme office. I renewed for my wife, my mother and 2 others within 10 minutes. It is convenient and also saves time.”
William Nlanjerborr Jalulah, a Teacher at Tindonsobligo -Upper East Region. “I use the NHIS Mobile App and it comes handy. I used it for renewal for my family. It saves time and cost. Imagine travelling from my place to the office to renew the cards of my family. It is good and I think it is good for the National Health Insurance offices too. The queues at the offices are reducing.”
I am Eric Kazie, a mobile money vendor at Fumsi, WA East district. “It’s good and I recommend it to other clients to use it. My shop is now busy because of the number of people who come to renew their cards.”
Kofi Ametepe, Electrician at Estate –Bolgatanga, Upper East Region. “The National Health Insurance Mobile App is working and for me, it is working perfectly. I used it to renew my membership and for my wife too. It is good, easy to use and very convenient. You can even renew for another person anywhere and it is good.”
Loretta Akazoni, a Trader at Bolga-Zongo – Upper East Region. “I have not used the National Health Insurance Mobile App to renew mine, because my membership has not expired, but I used the app to renew for my Auntie and it was easy to use and saves time to do other things.”
“My sisters used the National Health Insurance Mobile App to renew their membership with the scheme. It is good and fast, unlike previous times when we all had to join long queues at the Bolgatanga Municipal office to get renewed. For me if it is maintained or improved to include registration for first timers, it will serve more people.”
Humul-Khrusum Tabiru, Teacher/Sports Entrepreneur, Damweo -Upper East Region, “The Mobile Renewal Service has made it simple for us to check the Policy Validity, Medicines list and Benefits Packages.”
Mr. Fredrick-Prampram, Greater Accra Region, businessman. “It’s convenient despite a few challenges that come with it. Those days you will go to the district office for renewal, you will sit there for several hours and when it is your turn they would tell you the service is down. The mobile renewal is good.”
Hayford Nkamah, Atimpoku-Eastern Region, a Teacher. “The mobile renewal service is an improvement in progress.”
Sadia Abubakari, Kasoa-Central Region. “The mobile renewal is convenient. I can sit at home and renew my card without going to spend several hours at the district office. So far I have renewed four cards for my family members.”
Joshua Addo, Shai Hills, businessman. “It saves time. I no longer go to the district office to waste time and join long queues. As a businessman, it saves my productive hours.”
Makafui Ahianu- Ho, mobile money vendor. “It has increased the number of customers who visit my shop for renewal of their NHIS cards. Especially the old men and the old women come to me to do it for them. It’s good.”
Abraham Nathan, Cape Coast. “It has saved my time from long queuing at the district office. I used it to renew my family members’ cards. It is good.”
Mobile Renewal Service
In line with government’s digitization drive, on December 19, 2018, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia launched the Mobile Renewal Service to make the NHIS more accessible to its members and also improve upon the Scheme’s financial management.
The initiative is the beginning of the total digitalization of the system of enrolment of new NHIS clients, renewal of membership, submission, processing and payment of claims to support efforts of the government towards universal health coverage of the country.
Relevance
No more long queues at the NHIS District offices thereby creating enough space for staff there to attend to pregnant and indigent members.
The Scheme has become more attractive and so members who left the Scheme are returning thereby increasing the number of persons being covered in line with Universal Health Coverage (UHC) vision of the government.
Combined with the generation of E-Receipts, the much touted innovation tracks payments to streamline the operations of the NHIS and make it more efficient.
The Mobile Membership Renewal Service puts a check on providers by reducing the chances of false claims generation through the option available to members to confirm or deny attendance after every facility visit requiring the use of the NHIS cards.
Simplified Offline Verification allows NHIS provider facilities to verify membership validity with the aid of a mobile phone leading to prompt payment of claims.
Membership
The NHIS active membership has risen from 10 million as at the end of 2016 to 11.7 million. They have access to services by 4,600 Health Service Providers credentialed by the NHIA across the country.
Claims Payment
The Authority has so far cleared the 2016, 2017, 2018 arrears of claims and is on course paying 2019 claims.
By SavannahNewsOnline.Com/ Abdul Karim Naatogmah
