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During the recent manifesto launch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Bawumia recounted the achievements his government undertook in the health sector over the years and the need for another mandate by the Ghanaian people.
According to him, the government implemented new social intervention policies and expanded existing ones for the benefit of the masses across Ghana.
“Expanding the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) care for childhood cancer, sickle cell patients and kidney dialysis and so on,” Dr Bawumia said.
Dr Akua Amoakoh, a member of the NPP communications team, was the representative of the health sector during the manifesto launch. When she spoke on what the government was able to do in the health sector, she shared the same claims as Dr Bawumia.
According to her, expanding the coverage of the NHIS on key ailments increased access to healthcare across the country.
“This expansion coupled with inclusion of critical treatment like dialysis, childhood cancers and Hydroxyurea for sickle cell patients means more Ghanaians are receiving the care they need without the fear of financial ruining.”
Fact-Check Ghana has verified these claims and presents the facts below:
Claim 1: Dialysis Treatment Covered by NHIS
Verdict: Misleading
Explanation: On June 1, 2024, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) announced the commencement of a six-month dialysis support programme for renal patients, scheduled to last until December 2024. The NHIA made it clear that it is not free for all.
NHIA explained that the gesture is for only individuals under 18 and over 60 years suffering from kidney diseases. These individuals will be entitled to eight free dialysis sessions each month.
Patients aged 18 to 59 receiving treatments at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Efia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, Ho Teaching Hospital, and Tamale Teaching Hospital will receive a subsidy under the intervention, except those at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH). This subsidy will cover two dialysis sessions per month, amounting to GH¢982.00, or GH¢491 per session.
It added that patients at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) are eligible for a subsidy that covers two dialysis sessions per month, with each session costing GH¢245.50, which is 50% of the standard price of GH¢491.00 per session.
Based on the above, it is clear that the announcement does not make dialysis treatment comprehensively free for all patients. Therefore, Dr Bawumia and Dr Akua Amoakoh’s claims that the inclusion of critical treatment like dialysis under the NHIS means more Ghanaians are receiving the care they need without financial burden is misleading.
Claim 2: Childhood Cancer Treatment Covered by NHIS
Verdict: Misleading
Explanation: On November 16, 2021, during the launch of the 2021 NHIS Week celebration, First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo announced that children battling childhood cancers would receive healthcare services under the NHIS Benefit Package. This was to cover the diagnosis and treatment of four childhood cancers: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, Burkitt Lymphoma, Retinoblastoma, and Wilms Tumor. These four cancers constitute approximately 60% of all childhood cancers and are highly curable if detected early.
Almost a year later, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia confirmed the free treatment for children with cancer, stating that it took effect from July 1, 2022. This intervention was intended to relieve parents of the financial burden and secure the future of young people.
However, investigations by The Fourth Estate have shown otherwise. The investigations revealed that parents are still bearing the cost of treatment for their children’s cancers despite the government’s promise that it was covered by the NHIS.
Based on the above, Dr Bawumia and Dr Akua Amoakoh’s claims that the inclusion of critical treatment like childhood cancers under the NHIS means more Ghanaians are receiving the care they need without financial burden is misleading.
Claim 3: Hydroxyurea for Sickle Cell Patients Covered by NHIS
Verdict: Misleading
Explanation: On June 19, 2021, following a Memorial Service for the late Professor Kwaku Ohene Frempong, a renowned Sickle Cell Disease expert, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia announced on his Facebook page that sickle cell patients could obtain Hydroxyurea for free using their NHIS card. Hydroxyurea is an essential drug for the treatment of sickle cell anaemia.
Like the dialysis enrolment on the NHIS, hydroxyurea treatment is not free for all patients. It is for only patients below 18 and above 60 years. Thus, patients within ages of 18 to 59 years with hydroxyurea disease are not eligible and therefore will pay.
Even those within the beneficiary age bracket, there have been concerns shared about the weak implementation of the programme and the unavailability of the drug, which threatens the lives that the initiative was intended to support.
Fact-Check Ghana contacted officials at the NHIA but could not confirm the effective implementation of this project. Although the initiative has been announced, it is not accessible to all categories of patients, and its implementation is reportedly ineffective, according to patients.
Based on the above, Dr Akua Amoakoh’s claim that the inclusion of critical treatment like Hydroxyurea for sickle cell patients under the NHIS means more Ghanaians are receiving the care they need without financial burden is misleading.
