NHIA Inaugurates First-Ever Adjudication Committee to Resolve NHIS Disputes
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has inaugurated its first-ever Adjudication Committee to provide an independent avenue for resolving disputes and grievances arising from the administration of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The committee, established under Section 106 of the National Health Insurance Act, 2012 (Act 852), gives practical effect to a dispute-resolution mechanism provided for in the law since its passage.
The Chairman of the NHIA Governing Board, Lawrence Nii Okantey Adjetey, inaugurated the 10-member committee at the Authority’s Head Office in Accra on Monday.
The committee is chaired by retired Justice of the Superior Courts of Judicature, Justice Abdul Yusif Asibey, and brings together representatives from key professional and regulatory bodies, including the Medical and Dental Council, Health Facilities Regulatory Agency, Institute of Chartered Accountants, Pharmacy Council, Department of Social Welfare and Nurses and Midwives Council. The NHIA’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Operations, Dr Senanu Kwesi Djokoto, is also a member.
Speaking at the inauguration, Mr Adjetey said the committee would help strengthen accountability and public confidence by ensuring that disputes involving the Authority were handled fairly, impartially and without undue delay.
He noted that, given the NHIA’s central role in financing healthcare in Ghana, disagreements over claims, benefits, accreditation and other decisions were inevitable, making a credible and impartial review mechanism necessary.
He urged members to discharge their duties with independence, integrity and professionalism, stressing that the committee’s success would be measured not simply by the number of cases resolved but by the fairness of its proceedings and the soundness of its decisions.
Mr Adjetey also called on members to uphold due process, avoid conflicts of interest and maintain strict confidentiality in handling cases.
He said the committee had a unique responsibility to establish procedures and standards that would guide future adjudication within the Authority, adding that its conduct would be critical to building trust among NHIS members, healthcare providers and other stakeholders.
The Board Chairman expressed appreciation to the Minister of Health, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, for constituting the committee.
In a separate address read on his behalf by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Human Resource and Administration, the NHIA Chief Executive, Dr Victor Asare Bampoe, pledged Management’s full support and cooperation to ensure the committee’s effective operation.
Dr Bampoe described the committee as an important independent forum for reviewing contested decisions involving members’ benefits, claims processing, provider accreditation and entitlements under the NHIS.
He said the establishment of the committee would strengthen institutional accountability by ensuring that decisions taken by the Authority could be subjected to credible and impartial review.
Dr Bampoe gave three key assurances: that Management would provide the committee with the records, information and personnel needed to perform its duties promptly; that its determinations would be respected and implemented without delay; and that no NHIA officer would be allowed to interfere with the outcome of any case before it.
He said the Authority welcomed the opportunity for its decisions to be independently examined, noting that a credible institution should be willing to subject its work to scrutiny.
For his part, Justice Asibey expressed gratitude to the Minister of Health and NHIA Management for the confidence placed in the committee.
He assured the Authority and the public that members would work to ensure that disputes brought before them were resolved fairly, impartially and in accordance with the law.
Grace Acheampong, ISD
