Prioritize Staff Needs for UHC Success – NHIA CEO
By: Isaac Darko Boamah
Acting Deputy Chief Executive (Operations) of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Senanu Kwesi Djokoto, has urged regional directors to ensure staff needs are met to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Ghana.
He said this at the opening of a two‑day 2025 end‑of‑year regional performance review at the Volta Serene Hotel on Tuesday, using the forum to align regional offices with the Authority’s UHC push for 2026 and beyond.
Opening the meeting under the theme “Achieving and sustaining UHC in 2026: a collective responsibility,” Dr. Djokoto told delegates that policy alone will not deliver UHC. “Staff welfare and operational support are essential to translating policy into quality service delivery,” he said, calling on regional directors to prioritize staff needs and create enabling working conditions.
Dr. Djokoto outlined the NHIA’s 2026–2029 strategic vision, which centres on universal coverage, financial sustainability, quality of care, digital innovation,, and system interoperability to improve claims processing, monitoring, and institutional excellence. He said a recent performance review showed strong national enrolment growth and notable regional successes, but flagged Greater Accra and the Western Region as requiring intensified operational focus.
Digital transformation was presented as a cornerstone of the strategy. Officials outlined plans to strengthen registrations across both mobile platforms and in-office channels, data analytics, and system interoperability to improve monitoring and service delivery. The NHIA confirmed its commitment to migrate critical systems to a certified Tier‑4 data centre to reduce outages and enhance resilience.
A major policy initiative on the agenda is the planned rollout of free primary healthcare in 2026. The Scheme will prioritise preventive services and employ blended payment mechanisms designed to incentivise efficiency and quality among providers. The Authority has set an ambitious target of registering at least 80 percent of the population for the free primary‑care package — a goal Dr. Djokoto said will hinge on coordinated provider engagement, strong monitoring, and expanded public education.
The Director of Membership and Regional Operations, Mr. Sebastian Agapulinsa, warned against illegal payments, urged mutual respect across public and private providers, and called for strengthened accountability and anti‑fraud measures to protect Scheme resources, and encouraged participants to work harder to achieve the ambitious targets set for 2026. The NHIA’s chief executive has initiated a medium‑term plan combining digital tools, provider incentives, and tighter oversight to expand coverage while safeguarding finances.
Other Directors at the review includes Oswald Essuah-Mensah, Acting Director CAF, Vitus Kaleb-Bioh, Acting Director MIS, Suleyman Abass, Acting Director RPME, Aminu Yakubu, Acting Chief Audit Executive and Mariam Musah, Acting Director Operations stressed operational discipline and stakeholder collaboration.
The two-day event was facilitated by Ms. Mercy Wireduwaa Awuah and Ms. Blandina Norman, both Deputy Directors at the Membership and Regional Operations Directorate.