The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has covered the medical bills of 226 children diagnosed with cancer since June of the previous year.
This initiative began after the inclusion of four predominant childhood cancers to the national health financing scheme in June 2022.
Out of the total, 136 patients sought treatment between June and December of last year, while 90 have been treated this year.
According to Abdul Karim Naatogmah, the acting Senior Manager of Corporate Affairs at the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), most of these patients visited major health institutions such as Teaching and Regional hospitals.
Reimbursements for these treatments summed up to approximately GH¢250,000, with GH¢143,143 reimbursed in 2022 and GH¢100,937 this year.
The care was administered by a skilled team of professionals across seven key facilities including the renowned Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra and the Greater Accra Regional Hospital.
The newly included childhood cancers are acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, burkitt lymphoma, retinoblastoma, and wilms tumour.
The First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, officially announced this inclusion in November 2021 during the NHIS Week celebrations.
This was a decision made after assessing the scheme’s financial capacity to accommodate childhood cancer coverage costs. Naatogmah reiterated the unwavering dedication of the authority towards achieving their set goals.
However, with the changing economic landscape, the NHIA has also found it necessary to periodically review and adjust service tariffs and medicine prices.
This year, revisions were made in February, ahead of the usual annual review in July.
Amid these efforts, the NHIA has expressed concerns regarding complaints about the unavailability of medicines and consumables at some health facilities.
