Dr. Okoe Boye, the National Health Insurance Authority's (NHIA) Chief Executive Officer, has stated that the NHIA is committed to including mental health care in the National Health Insurance Scheme's Benefit Package.
Dr. Okoe Boye revealed this during a recent meeting in his office, when officials from the Johnson and Johnson (J&J) pharmaceutical business congratulated him on his appointment and vowed assistance for future engagements and collaboration with the NHIA.
He stated that the NHIA has requested data from the Mental Health Authority and is conducting actuarial analysis to determine the feasibility and impact of including Mental Health Treatment in the NHIS Benefit Package as part of the Akufo-Addo-led government's efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage.
All Ghanaians have goals and are covered.
Currently, the National Health Insurance Scheme covers around 95% of illnesses in Ghana, leaving the other 5% to face medical and financial hardships.
The government recently approved the treatment of the four most common childhood cancers, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Burkitt Lymphoma, Retinoblastoma, and Wilms Tumor, to be added to the NHIS Benefit Package, and is currently working to add the treatment of sickle cell disease with Hydroxyurea to the NHIS Medicines List.
Dr. Okoe Boye applauded President Akufo-government Addo's for taking measures to guarantee that all Ghanaians have access to comprehensive healthcare and for lowering the financial hurdles to doing so.
He took use of the opportunity to push the government and other stakeholders to develop new and long-term measures to increase inflows into the NHIA Fund in order to make it stable and resilient enough to handle further package inclusions.
The J&J team, lead by Kwabena Asante Offei, Snr. Manager, Government Affairs and Policy, West Africa, explained how their revolutionary research had resulted in new medications for the treatment of mental health disorders and prostate cancer. J&J is also interested in working with the NHIA to make its goods more available to regular Ghanaians who would otherwise have to pay for such vital medication out of pocket.
Some mental health treatments can now be given just twice a year as a result of the availability of such novel pharmaceuticals.
When compared to daily consumption for the treatment of Schizophrenia, for example, patients benefit from a higher quality of life.
Mrs. Yaa Pokuaa Baiden, Deputy Chief, Administration & HR, Mr. Ben Kusi, Director, Membership & Regional Operations, Mr. Oswald Essuah-Mensah, Head of Corporate Affairs, and Mr. Daniel Blankson, Head of Management Information Systems of the NHIA also contributed to the conversation.