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Stakeholders from the
Ahafo, Bono and Bono East Regions have welcomed the National Health Insurance
Authority’s (NHIA) decision to introduce biometric verification into its claims
processing.
This was during an
engagement held by the Authority in Sunyani on Monday, December 1, 2025, as
part of its nationwide consultations with service providers on the reviewed
tariffs.
The participants
commended the NHIA for deploying the new technology, saying it would enhance
efficiency within the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and strengthen
its long-term sustainability. They noted that biometric verification would
streamline the payment process and reduce tensions between service providers
and the Authority over claims.
Some stakeholders,
however, expressed concern that more than half of NHIS members do not own
mobile phones, and relying solely on the One-Time Password (OTP) system could
deny many people access to healthcare. They therefore called on the NHIA to
expand investment in technology and accelerate the deployment of the Biometric
Membership Authentication System (BMAS) to all credentialled service providers.
Their comments
followed a presentation by the Deputy Director of MIS, Mr. Orison Afflu, who
outlined the new technologies being introduced to reduce fraudulent claims and
improve data accuracy. He explained that while BMAS would enable biometric
verification of members, the OTP system would allow members to generate unique
access codes through their phones or email to verify their presence at health
facilities.
He noted that the BMAS
would be deployed mainly in high-volume facilities with stable network
connectivity, while the OTP system would serve lower-volume facilities. The
technologies have already been piloted in 40 facilities nationwide, and devices
have been distributed to NHIA district offices for onward allocation to health
facilities ahead of full rollout.
The verification
technologies will be implemented alongside the revised tariffs under the NHIS.
Participants at the
engagement included representatives from the Ghana Health Service, medical
directors from the three regions, members of the Christian Health Association
of Ghana (CHAG), quasi-government health facilities, private providers, and
NHIS regional and district offices.
The NHIA’s executive
management team was led by the Deputy CEO in charge of Operations, Dr. Senanu
Kwesi Djokoto, and included the Director of Claims, Dr. Abigail C.
Derkyi-Kwarteng; Director of the Strategic Health Purchasing Directorate, Dr.
Ruby A. Mensah Annan; Director of Special Projects, Dr. Francis Asenso Boadi;
and the Director of Actuarial, Mr. Magnus Owusu-Agyemang.
Source: Kwadwo
Baffoe Donkor
Photo credit:
Sylvester Pappoe
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