In January this year, the NHIA introduced the ‘instant issuance’ of health insurance Identification (ID) Card system based on biometric data.There's a reason national health services worldwide are scrambling to apply biometric ID management techniques to service delivery. Biometrics deliver bottom-line financial benefit to health care systems in significant ways. Better ID means less fraud, fewer ghost patients and a better audit trail if a provider's activities warrant investigation. Also, better patient ID leads to better patient outcomes and better records management.
The process began as a roll-out in the Greater Accra region after a pilot of it on the security personnel (Military and police) in two districts of the Region-Ayawaso and La.
Currently, the process has been extended to the Central and Eastern Regions respectively and the Ashanti Region will be the next to join instant issuance of the ID cards regime.
It's not surprising that countries like Ghana are choosing to leap-frog the 20th century systems other large health care providers use, but it also isn't surprising that the process is difficult and requires a steady managerial hand.
