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The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Committee,
overseeing the implementation of the NHIS Electronic Healthcare Services
Application (NeHSA) and the Electronic Pharmacy Platform (NEPP), chaired by the
Deputy Chief Executive for Operations of the NHIA, Dr. Senanu Djokoto, held a
meeting to review findings from the pilot phase of both digital health
initiatives.
The session which took place at the NHIA Head Office in
Accra, on Monday, July 7, 2025, brought together key stakeholders from the
Ghana Health Service (GHS), Pharmacy Council, Health Facilities Regulatory
Agency (HeFRA), and Jams Info Systems.
The NeHSA project, a telehealth platform initiated by the
NHIA Board in 2022, was rolled out on a pilot basis in 2024.
Senior Manager at the Management Information System (MIS)
Directorate, Ebenezer Hooper, highlighted in a presentation that NeHSA seeks to
improve access, efficiency, transparency, and quality in healthcare delivery
through nationwide digital transformation.
“There are issues of congestion at facilities, and the
telehealth platform will help close this gap,” he stated. Adding that,
"this platform ensures patients can access healthcare services whenever
needed."
Mr. Hooper pointed out a key challenge during the pilot
phase — limited awareness and adoption of the platform at facility and regional
levels within the Ghana Health Service.
He also explained the scope of the Electronic Pharmacy
Platform (NEPP), a digital prescription and pharmaceutical care system led by
the Pharmacy Council in collaboration with Rx Health, NHIA, and the Ministry of
Health.
“NEPP is designed to provide access to quality
pharmaceutical services for over 18 million active NHIS members. One of the
major challenges encountered during the pilot was the limited number of
NHIA-credentialed community pharmacies available to support the platform,” he
stated.
In his closing remarks, Dr. Senanu Djokoto stressed the
importance of the two platforms in strengthening accountability and eliminating
inefficiencies in the healthcare system. “These platforms are very important
because they mitigate a certain moral hazard risk — when some facilities don’t
have medicines and still bill the NHIA for them. It is in our best interest to
ensure these platforms operate optimally,” he concluded.
Source: Shaniece Palm
Photo Credit: Nyarko Danso & Isaac Marano Hagan
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