In a significant policy assurance aimed at safeguarding public healthcare funds, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authorit
In a significant policy assurance aimed at safeguarding public healthcare funds, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Victor Bampoe, has announced new stringent measures to curb fraudulent claims by service providers under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
This renewed commitment aligns with President Mahama’s broader agenda to revitalize the NHIA and push the country closer to achieving universal healthcare coverage.
Dr. Bampoe made the disclosure during a high-level roundtable engagement with the Board of Directors of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi on May 9, 2025.
The meeting explored challenges surrounding healthcare claims processing, funding sustainability, and the overall efficiency of the scheme.
Speaking to journalists after the session, Dr. Bampoe emphasized that decisive actions would be taken to eliminate malpractice.
“We are going to put measures in place to ensure that, if there are any illegalities in terms of fraudulent claims, those detected are dealt with because it is taxpayers’ money, and we don’t want it going into the wrong hands,” he stated.
The problem of fraudulent claims has long plagued the NHIS, undermining its financial viability and public trust.
Over the years, audits and investigative reports have revealed systemic abuses including inflated invoices, ghost patients, and the billing of unrendered services.
The new NHIA leadership, appointed under the Mahama administration, is signaling a zero-tolerance approach to such malpractices.
In addition to the anti-fraud measures, Dr. Bampoe assured stakeholders of prompt and regular reimbursement to accredited service providers.
He credited the government’s recent decision to uncap the National Health Insurance Fund for making more resources available.
“Because of what the President did in uncapping the fund, there is a lot of funding. We will be paying more regularly; the service tariff will be reviewed more regularly, the drug tariff will be reviewed more regularly,” he said.
Dr. Bampoe further pledged to ensure that every cedi disbursed by the Authority goes towards the reimbursement of actual healthcare services and medications procured.
His comments come at a time when healthcare providers have frequently lamented delays in claims payment, which they say negatively impacts service delivery.
The NHIA boss’s declarations appear to mark a new era of financial discipline and operational efficiency at the Authority, with reforms that could restore confidence among stakeholders and the general public.
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