NHIA commences free dialysis support programme

In honor of the National Health Insurance Authority’s (20th) anniversary, the Government of Ghana is happy to announce a major expansion of its health benefit coverage, extending to dialysis patients for a period of six months.

Patients under the age of 18 and those over 60 are among the vulnerable categories who would be covered by the new policy, according to a statement signed by Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr. Da-costa Aboagye.

He mentioned that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) will provide all eight (8) free dialysis treatments per month to patients under the age of eighteen and those over sixty in June through December of 2024.

After the real patients on dialysis are verified, the estimated monthly cost of dialysis for these categories is GH¢329,952, with a cumulative estimate of almost GH¢2.3 million by the end of December 2024.

Patients will receive two (2) dialysis sessions per month at GH¢982.00, or GH¢491 per session, from Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH), Efia Nkwanta Regional Hospital (ENRH), Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH), and Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), with the exception of Korle Bu (see point 3).

For this therapy category, the expected monthly cost of dialysis is GH¢144,354, and the total estimated cost by the end of December 2024 is GH¢1.01 million.

As a humanitarian gesture to address equity across all facilities, patients at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) would get a subsidy for two (2) dialysis treatments per month at GHS491.00, This is 50% of the cost each session (that is, GH¢245.50 * 2).

Dialysis for this therapy category at KBTH is expected to cost GH¢147,300 per month, with a total anticipated cost of GH¢1.03 million by the end of December 2024.

In the NHIA’s 2024 Allocation Formula, the Ghanaian government and parliament granted a sum of two million Ghana Cedis (GH¢2,000,000.00) to assist patients who are vulnerable and in need of dialysis therapy.

In celebration of NHIA’s 20th anniversary, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has authorized an extra 2,000,000 Ghana Cedis (GH¢2,400,000.00) for this initiative under the scheme’s approved budget for Corporate Social Responsibility. This allocation was made through administrative arrangements.

This indicates that GH¢4.4 million is being invested in total to support this activity.

The government is dedicated to developing long-term solutions for treating illnesses other than those covered by the NHIS, such as kidney disorders, and it will shortly release a long-term strategy.

Read the full statement from NHIA below:

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com