I am not a politician, I just want to share my view as a Health Worker (Registered General Nurse), due to a long time observation and a recent incidence in my ward between myself and an old man.
The said old man was so angry with me because he thought I had given him huge bills to pay on his wife who was discharged from admission, when I am not even responsible for billing clients. All I did was to announce to him his bills because he can’t read. After buying most of his drugs, he was given a bill of over GH.500 because the wife was not Health insured, and he had to pay for some other drugs and services rendered.
The issue of NHIS has sadly been strongly politicized in Ghana with each party claiming and counter claiming that “it’s dead” and “It is not dead”. And the innocent uninformed Ghanaian is suffering from these misinformation.
In as much as the NHIS is not in the best of state and needs a serious attention to improve it, the way it is presented out there by the political opponents of the ruling Government, is completely wrong.
As per the little stock I have taken only in my small unpopulated Ward, and discussion with a few colleagues from other wards, I have listed a few effects and how such information or misinformation has affected and continue to affect the Ghanaian if I should generalize the effect.
1. Some people have refused to register for NHIS because they think there is no need since it’s not working. Such people end up battling with huge bills on discharge when in fact the ‘dead’ insurance could have taken care of at least 1/3 or even 2/3 of their bills. In the case of my client I spoke about earlier, it could have saved him over GH300.
2. Some who have it resort to local treatments, thinking they won’t get anything from the Hospital “except Para” .The result is that, they finally visit the hospital with serious complications which result in their death or serious disabilities.
But I want to inform all Ghanaians that YES you won’t get the best with your NHIS but for the following reasons, you gain a lot by possessing NHIS and visiting the hospital with it:
1. You get your folder for free, BUT, you will pay without NHIS.
2. You are consulted and reviewed by the doctors for free, BUT, you will pay without NHIS.
3. You get some investigations done for free in some Hospitals or pay half in some other Hospitals, though you will pay fully in some other Hospitals too, BUT, you pay fully in all Hospitals without NHIS
4. When you are admitted, you stay in the Ward and use the bed and other facilities for free, BUT, you pay for everything on daily basis when you are not on NHIS.
5. You pay for the services of the Nurses who manages you while on admission or at the OPD, BUT, it’s free when you are on NHIS.
6. There is no doubt you get some of your drugs for free, sometimes all, sometimes part, some other times non, for free, when you are on NHIS. BUT, be sure of buying every prescribed drug when you are not on Health Insurance.
7. Sometimes you are given alternative treatment when the one prescribed is not available in the dispensary and you can’t readily buy from outside, BUT, you will not get that when you are not on Health Insurance.
8. You get lots of simple and some major procedures carried on you at the theatre most times for free or at a reduced cost, BUT, you will bear every cost when you are not Heath Insured.
So for just these few reasons I have stated above, don’t be discouraged by anyone’s comments to enroll on The National Health Insurance with your family, because you will regret one day for not having it when you come on admission to the Hospital and you are not affluent.
DON’T DO POLITICS WITH YOUR HEALTH, PLEASE GET INSURED WITH YOUR FAMILY, AND MAKE USE OF YOUR INSURRANCE, EVEN IF IT’S DEAD, YOU GET A PROFFESIONAL DR TO TELL YOU WHAT DRUG TO BUY. AND AVOID UNACREDITTED LOCAL TREATMENTS FOR ITS VERY DANGEROUS*
SHARE PLEASE, YOU MAY SAVE A LIFE .THANK YOU!!
Abubakar Zakaria, Registered General Nurse at War Memorial Hospital. Navrongo Upper East Region.