HelpAge Ghana (General News)

29/11/11

HelpAge Ghana (GENERAL NEWS)

STORY: Zoe Darling

It has been revealed that the sustainability of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is under threat, according to its Projects Officer Mr Huduissah.
Mr Huduissah said the challenges that face the NHIS are numerous and are contributing to the risks for the future of the organisation.
At a workshop on local government and ageing issues for local representatives of older people, organised by HelpAge Ghana in Accra today, he said the main challenges facing the NHIS include fraud and leakages, governance structure and poor claims management.
He said the issue of the low renewal rate of NHIS members was due to “lack of information in the system”.
Discussions at the workshop, which focused on the Older Citizens’ Monitoring (OCM) Project and the Department of Social Welfare’s Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Cash Transfer Programme, addressed the issues surrounding these two schemes and particularly the problems in healthcare for the aged.
Mr Huduissah said the way forward had begun with the establishment of a Clinical Audit Division and strengthening of the Internal Audit Division at NHIS to conduct both financial and operational audits and therefore promote efficiency and effectiveness.
Speaking at the workshop, the Executive Director for HelpAge Ghana, Mr Ebenzer Adjetey-Sorsey addressed the key issues in the area and said the problems start with Ghana’s lack of definition of who an ‘older person’ should include.
Mr Adjetey-Sorsey expressed concern for the increasing number of older people in Ghana, where the number classified as such has more than tripled in the last thirty years, in line with worldwide trends.
He said men and women in this category face different challenges and this necessitates the need to address ageing issues from a gender perspective.
HelpAge Ghana, an affiliate of the global network of age care organisations HelpAge International, is a non-governmental, non-religious and non-profit making organisation established to promote the prospects of older people in Ghanaian society.
The importance of older people and their contribution to family and community development is not recognised as valuable in Ghana, a mindset that needs to change according to Mr Adjetey-Sorsey.
He highlighted the issue of social change, including modernisation, industrialisation and urbanisation, saying we mist consider its effects on the older people and the way we approach their issues.
He identified the national challenges affecting the aged in Ghana as unemployment, inadequate income and poverty, discrimination, exclusion and bad attitudes of Ghanaians towards the aged and rights abuse or denial.
He added that inadequacy of suitable and specialised health care for the aged is an area needing attention.
HelpAge Ghana is involved in the advancement of the welfare of older persons in Ghana at a number of levels, including advocacy for policy and programme development, awareness creation to both older and younger Ghanaians, promotion of the rights of older persons, research, the building and support of day centres and the provision of healthcare for the aged.