Community Practice Pharmacists Association (CPPA) has unveiled a collaborative effort with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to expand healthcare accessibility by accrediting One Thousand Community Pharmacies nationwide.
This announcement came during a CPPA Virtual General Meeting under the theme “Providing Quality Care Through Health Insurance.”
The objective of this initiative is to enhance healthcare access for both Ghanaian residents and visitors. By accrediting community pharmacies, the aim is to elevate the quality of healthcare services, aligning with NHIA’s mission to establish a sustainable, progressive, and equitable social health insurance scheme.
Emmanuel Kwaku Ireland, Chairman of CPPA, highlighted that the initiative seeks to offer financial risk protection for Ghanaians against the costs of essential healthcare services.
He underscored that this endeavor would ensure public access to prescribed medications covered by NHIS, along with comprehensive education on proper medication dosage.
“The collaboration would also enhance access to quality healthcare by creating a sustainable, progressive, and equitable social health insurance to the persons covered by the Scheme,” Dr Ireland explained.
Giving the keynote address, Deputy CEO of the NHIA, Dr Mrs Yaa Pokuaa Baiden, highlighted her outfit’s readiness to collaborate with stakeholders in Ghana’s healthcare delivery system, emphasizing the importance of granting credentials to facilities based on predetermined industry standards.
“For The Authority to attain this objective, we continuously work in collaboration with relevant agencies especially those involved in Ghana’s health delivery system. The overarching objective of all these collaborations is to ensure that healthcare providers operating under the Scheme implement policies that guarantee quality basic healthcare to members of a Scheme.
These policies include granting credentials to facilities, undertaking service utilization reviews at these facilities, and sometimes technology assessments.” Dr Baiden indicated.
She added, “In granting credentials, the Authority assesses facilities against predetermined industry standards. These standards are determined by a team of experts across Ghana’s Health Sector. In line with changes that occur in our industry, the Authority reviews the credentialing standards every five years.
This is to ensure that the standards based on which credentials are granted are abreast with changes in the industry. Credentialing application is currently online only.”
Furthermore, she revealed that by the end of 2023, only around 140 out of the nation’s 5,300 pharmacies had enrolled to provide services under the NHIS.
Expressing concern over this low level of participation, she urged more pharmacies to join and collaborate with the Scheme. She emphasized the improved payment of claims since 2020 as an incentive for participation.