Treatment of childhood cancers and family planning to be covered under the NHIS

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has added to its medicines lists the treatment of childhood cancers and family planning services under the Scheme.

This follows the successful piloting and actuarial studies conducted to determine the financial sustainability of the scheme. H.E. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, revealed this at the launch of 2021 National Health Insurance Week, on Monday, November, 15 in Accra.

It was on the theme: “NHIS: Using the Ghana Card for Expanded Health Service.”

Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo added that analyses indicated that the scheme could accommodate the treatment of childhood cancers and provision of family planning services without much strain.

The decision is in line with the 2030 Universal Health Coverage (UHC) target of achieving an 80 per cent reduction of health care cost for patients, 80 per cent coverage of the population on NHIS, and making health care accessible to 80 per cent of the population.

In Ghana, about 1200 children under the age of 15 are estimated to develop cancer annually.

Leukaemia, lymphoma, retinoblastoma, Wilms’ tumour, soft tissue sarcoma and neuroblastoma are among the most common forms in the country.

Experts, however, estimate that only about 20 to 30 per cent of patients receive professional treatment, often due to inhibitive costs.

The average expenditure for treating childhood cancer is estimated at US $1000.

In the treatment of Leukaemia, however, the cost can reach $ 7000 for up to three years.

First Lady Akufo-Addo who was the guest speaker announcing it the packages noted that the treatment of childhood cancers was less expensive and that there was a 90 per cent survival rate on a global stage, with Ghana now having a 37 per cent survival rate.

On Family Planning, she said,
“If we are to add family planning, there would be an initial pressure but it won’t affect us that much and it would be very easy to add both of them on.”

After a two-year piloting of family planning in nine districts, she said, the cost was bearable with the modalities working well.

She, however, noted that there existed a challenge of low uptake due to cultural and social barriers.

There are about 1.6 million women who are using a modern method of contraception, with 23.2 per cent prevalence rate in all women and 29.8 per cent prevalence in married women, according to the Track 2020 Family Planning Project.

The most common forms in use are injectibles, pills and implants.