A delegation from the World Bank Group, led by Health Economist Mr. Enoch Oti Agyekum, paid a courtesy call on the new Chief Executive of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Victor Asare Bampoe, on Tuesday, February 18, 2024, at the NHIA Head Office in Accra.
The visit aimed to congratulate Dr. Bampoe on his appointment and discuss ongoing World Bank-funded health sector projects, as well as explore opportunities for enhanced collaboration.
The delegation also engaged in discussions on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) program and the World Bank Development Policy Operation, which are designed to strengthen the financial sustainability of Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Mr. Agyekum reaffirmed the World Bank’s commitment to supporting Ghana’s healthcare sector, emphasizing the importance of partnerships in achieving health financing reforms.
Providing an update on the progress of World Bank-funded NHIA projects, Senior Health Specialist Ms. Dorothee Chen highlighted key achievements under the Program for Results (PforR) initiative, which focuses on primary healthcare investment.
She reported that three verification exercises had been completed, leading to significant disbursements:
- First verification: $10.61 million disbursed
- Second verification: $33.72 million disbursed
- Third verification: $9.72 million disbursed
The fourth verification is scheduled to commence in early 2025.
Despite these milestones, Ms. Chen acknowledged challenges such as delays in upgrading some healthcare centers and a slow increase in new NHIS enrollments.
To address these, she stressed the need for a restructuring of the PforR to focus more on covering vulnerable populations and expediting claims processing.
This restructuring, she noted, requires the completion of the 2023 financial audit
On the issue of tariff adjustments, Mr. Agyekum explained that the World Bank’s technical assistance to the NHIA in reviewing tariffs had been delayed. However, he assured that the team is finalizing data analysis, with the review expected to be completed by early March 2025.
“The World Bank team is at the final stage of the analysis and aims to conclude by early March. After that, we will hold a few more stakeholder engagements before submitting the final figures to the NHIA. These figures will serve as a basis for the NHIA’s executive decisions,” he said.
Dr. Victor Bampoe expressed gratitude for the World Bank’s technical and financial assistance, which he acknowledged as instrumental in strengthening NHIA operations and improving healthcare delivery in Ghana.
He reaffirmed his commitment to working closely with the World Bank to support the government’s vision of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.
He also emphasized the critical role of strategic partnerships in ensuring quality and affordable healthcare for all Ghanaians.
Dr. Bampoe was joined at the meeting by senior directors of the NHIA.
Source: Vivian Arthur
Photo: Ebenezer Danso
