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The National Health Insurance Authority has marked the first anniversary of its mobile renewal service which has been touted as a phenomenal innovation.

The NHIS mobile renewal service which has saved substantially cut down the operational cost of the Authority.

With the introduction of this innovation on short code *929#, over 5 million people have taken advantage and renewed their membership in the comfort of their homes, workplace, market, etc. without having to visit the NHIS offices.

Delivering a speech at “Meet the Press” in Accra, the NHIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Lydia Dsane-Selby highlighted the importance of the mobile renewal service.

According to her, Ghana is the first sub-Saharan African nation to introduce such innovative idea in 2003 in accordance with an Act of Parliament (ACT 650, Amended Act 852) and full implementation begun in 2004.

She stated that the scheme is to provide equitable access and financial coverage for basic healthcare services to Ghanaians with the aim of achieving a universal health coverage.

Dr. Lydia Dsane-Selby also admonished all Ghanaians to take advantage of the scheme to register and encouraged members to be part of the accountability of the NHIS by responding to the messages they receive regarding attendance at facilities.

The NHIS has since its inception taken initiatives to provide better health insurance cover for all Ghanaians.

The Mobile Renewal Service was introduced on December 19, 2018, in line with government’s digitization drive to make the NHIS more accessible to its members and also improve upon the Scheme’s financial management. 

It was launched by his Excellency the Vice President Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. It marked the turning point of the total digitalization of the system of enrollment 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.

Impact

The spectacular increase in active membership has been possible as a result of the introduction of the NHIS Mobile Renewal Service platform, a fully homegrown game-changer innovative.

There are no more long queues at the NHIS district offices thereby creating enough space for staff there to attend to pregnant and indigent members and also promote the Scheme in the communities.

The Scheme has become more attractive to the extent that members who left are returning, thus increasing the number of persons being covered in line with the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) vision of the government.

Combined with the generation of E-Receipts, the innovation tracks payment to streamline the operations of the NHIS and further make it more efficient.

Simplified offline verification allows NHIS provider facilities to verify membership validity using mobile technology. 

They are therefore reassured that the claims submitted will not be rejected for invalid membership. 

It also gives the NHIA real time utilization data in order to anticipate claims volume and also provides data that the Ministry of Health and its partner agencies can use to better plan health interventions and promotions.

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. 

This is in line with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s admonition for all Ghanaians to be “citizens and not spectators”.

The NHIS has consecutively won four prestigious awards for its unique innovations.