Providing financial risk protection against the cost of basic quality health care in Ghana; the role of preventive health care.

Health care financing is a major challenge for both the developed and developing economies of the world. Questions we should be asking ourselves, in anticipation of overcoming such a challenge are;

• Can money buy a person’s optimum health?
• Which begets what, health for wealth or wealth for health?

We are told that diseases (dis-eases) are a result of unbalanced or unhealthy life styles. Medicines account for 90% of Ghana's National Health Insurance Authority's cost drivers; broken down as shown below.

Therapeutic Class % of Cost
Anti-malaria 26.9
Anti-infective (other than malaria) 25.2
Analgesics 13.5
Vitamins 11.0
Cardiovascular 9.2
Anti-diabetics 4.2
Source: Health Summit April 2010.

Putting cost of Vitamins, Cardiovascular care and Anti-diabetics together, 24.4% of cost to NHIA provides financial risk protection against life style diseases. This may seem a minor cost component, but the risk of it expanding exponentially is sky high. There is a danger trending, whereby people are eating not for Strength and Nutrition but to have a fill and for taste. This is a risk that could collapse any health insurance scheme, given that cardiovascular and other ill health conditions as diabetes can only be controlled and are not entirely curable. It is therefore in the interest of the National Health Insurance Authority to manage such a spiral risk by the most cost effective means.

1. Introduce the DEER healthy concept to NHIS subscribers.
• D-rink a lot of water
• E-at fruits and veggies (fav)
• E-xercise daily
• R-est is in our best interest
Be DEER healthy today; Live it well! (In collaboration with Ministry of Health)

2. Have fruits and vegetable distribution shops in districts and communities to supply at subsidized prices, these essentials to NHIS subscribers.

3. Organize community summits to educate NHIS subscribers on the essence of plant diet to human health, and well being.

Prevention they say is better than cure, for an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; to be the Model of a sustainable and equitable social health insurance scheme in Africa and beyond, the NHIA must announce the good NEWS (Nutrition Exercise Water and Sleep) of preventive health care to its subscribers.