Policy evaluation involves six primary criteria; and this paper examined these criteria vis-à-vis the Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) policy in Ghana.
Policy evaluation is a very important tool for assessing progress of policy, projects and programmes implementation. It involves a number of processes including, central analysis and preparation of ideas about values, objectives, priorities and claims about facts and cause-effect linkages. This enable analysts to produce valuations about past or possible future actions by public agencies.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. A Brief Appraisal of Ghana’s NHIS Policy
2.1 Efficiency
2.2 Effectiveness
2.3 Impact
2.4 Relevance
2.5 Sustainability
2.6 Policy Consistency
3. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
The paper aims to evaluate the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) of Ghana to determine its overall performance and efficacy, specifically focusing on its relevance, sustainability, and achievement of intended policy objectives.
- Measurement of policy efficiency and cost-effectiveness within the healthcare sector.
- Assessment of the scheme's effectiveness in providing financial-risk protection.
- Analysis of the broader socio-economic impacts on Ghanaian beneficiaries.
- Evaluation of policy consistency and the sustainability of the health insurance model.
Excerpt from the Book
A BRIEF APPRAISAL OF GHANA’S NHIS POLICY
Efficiency: This may refer to maximum fulfilment of policy objectives from given resources. In economic terms, it denotes cost-effectiveness: i.e. productivity of given resources in achieving given objectives often measured in financial terms (IOB, 2009); but may also be measured in a non-economic sense (Gasper, 2006). It may also be measured in terms of the ratio of a non-financial output to a non-financial input, and a financial output to a non-financial input (Gasper, 2006). Therefore, efficiency measures relationship between outputs (i.e. products or services of an intervention) and inputs (i.e. the resources invested). A policy intervention may be considered efficient if it uses the least costly resources available and relevance for achieving the desired outputs or deliverables both quantitatively and qualitatively (Peersman, 2014; IOB, 2009; Gasper, 2006).
In measuring the NHIS’ efficiency, attention has to be paid to both the total number subscribers and or beneficiaries and the quality of services received at the hospital. For example, in terms subscription, the policy may be doing fairly well, with over 8.8 million active subscribers and 3500 healthcare providers (both private and public). In terms of service delivery, assessment of the quality of service provided is very crucial, thus the NHIS when measured by this may have several lapses which requires urgent attention to address as many people are sometimes turned away by service providers or mostly charged extra-amount for certain services and failure to afford such extra costs are often met with poor medical attention in some hospitals even though the NHIS accounts for over 85% of service delivery income of public and quasi-public healthcare facilities (Alhassan, Nketia-Amponsah & Arhinful, 2016).
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This section defines the role of policy evaluation as an analytical device for measuring performance and establishes the purpose of evaluating Ghana’s NHIS.
A Brief Appraisal of Ghana’s NHIS Policy: This chapter systematically analyzes the scheme based on six core evaluative criteria: efficiency, effectiveness, impact, relevance, sustainability, and policy consistency.
Conclusion: This final section synthesizes the findings, noting that while the NHIS performs well across the evaluation criteria, further improvements are needed to ensure long-term sustainability and service delivery.
Keywords
Policy evaluation, National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, Ghana, Efficiency, Effectiveness, Impact, Relevance, Sustainability, Policy consistency, Healthcare delivery, Financial-risk-protection, Public policy, Socio-economic impact, Health insurance
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper focuses on evaluating the performance of Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) using systematic policy evaluation criteria to determine its effectiveness and relevance.
What are the central thematic areas covered in the analysis?
The analysis covers efficiency, effectiveness, impact, relevance, sustainability, and policy consistency as they relate to the NHIS.
What is the main objective of the research?
The objective is to ascertain how well the NHIS meets its intended goals, such as providing financial-risk protection and improving healthcare access for all residents in Ghana.
Which evaluation methodology is employed?
The author employs a systematic policy evaluation framework, assessing the relationship between inputs, outputs, outcomes, and broader societal impacts.
What aspects are examined in the main body of the work?
The main body examines how the NHIS functions in practice, specifically looking at how resources are utilized, whether intended health outcomes are achieved, and how the policy impacts the daily lives of beneficiaries.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include policy evaluation, NHIS, Ghana, healthcare delivery, financial-risk-protection, and sustainability.
How does the NHIS affect the financial burden on breadwinners in Ghana?
The scheme reduces healthcare financial burdens on households, allowing families to save extra money for other essential activities, as access to quality basic healthcare becomes more affordable.
What are the identified challenges regarding the scheme's service delivery?
Challenges include lapses in service quality, occasional refusal of service to NHIS subscribers by providers, and the charging of extra-amounts for services, which can hinder access for those who cannot afford additional costs.
What role does the NHIA play in ensuring sustainability?
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) manages the dedicated NHIS levy and invests available funds to ensure the financial viability of the scheme.
Why is policy consistency considered essential for the NHIS?
Consistency is vital to ensure that different development objectives do not conflict and that the interventions of service providers and the government remain coherent, preventing the neutralisation of policy benefits.
- Citation du texte
- Gilbert Aidoo Arhinful (Auteur), 2018, Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). An Evaluation, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1129504
