Parliament approves GH¢10b for National Health Insurance Authority

Parliament of Ghana on Friday approved the 2025 formula for the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), allocating GH¢10 billion to the Fund.

The NHIF provides financial backing for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), a social intervention programme intended to provide access to healthcare for all Ghanaians.

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is the government agency that manages the NHIF and ensures that the citizens are adequately catered for under the NHIS.

The proposed formula for the disbursement of the Fund are as follows: 2025 claims of GH¢6.5 billion (65.1%), National Health Insurance Authority’s operational expenses of GH¢1.2 billion (12.3%), support to the National Health Insurance Scheme District offices amounting to GH¢124 million (1.2%) and GH¢984 million allocated to the Ministry of Health, representing 9.8 per cent.

Addressing the media in Parliament House in Accra on Friday, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minister of Health, said in 2024, GH¢6 billion was allocated to the NHIF, therefore allocating GH¢10 billion to the Fund this year would witness an increase in resource allocation.

The Minister explained that due to the uncapping of the NHIF in the 2025 Budget, the excess funds would be directed to supporting primary healthcare, fill the revenue gap created by withdrawal of donor support to the health sector and other portions would go to support the Ghana Trust Fund, otherwise known as ‘Mahama Care’.

Mr Akandoh indicated that beyond the aforementioned allocations, the NHIF would also allocate funds towards dialysis treatment under the NHIS.

The Mahama-led government had also put in place a policy framework for dialysis treatment in the country, the Minister stated.

Mr Akandoh noted that available statistics showed 45 per cent of mortality in the country was as a result of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), therefore, the Mahama Care initiative would provide funding for chronic NCDs including stroke and kidney infections.

The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) is funded through a combination of the National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL), Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contributions, and returns on NHIF investments.

The NHIF ensures that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) established by government in 2003 provide financial access to quality healthcare for Ghanaians.

Source: GNA

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