NHIMA faces K600m claims backlog

By Ruth Chayinda

The National Health Insurance Management Authority -NHIMA- currently owes accredited medical facilities 600 million kwacha in claims.

NHIMA Director General MICHAEL NJAPAU says this is because the authority has been seeing an increase in medical claims against its collection from the beneficiaries.

Mr. NJAPAU says the Authority is receiving more claims from private health facilities than public hospitals because most beneficiaries are opting to receive medical treatment in private facilities.

He said this when he made submissions to the parliamentary committee on Health and Community Development.

And Mr. NJAPAU has called for a diversified and well coordinated financial mechanism so that NHIMA contributions are increased.

And Chairperson of the Committee, CHRISTOPHER KALILA said the committee is keen on seeing the Authority sustainable and enable all Zambians have access to improved health care.

Earlier, the Zambia Ophthalmological Society -ZOS- recommended to the Committee on Health and Community Development that NHIMA should revise its benefit packages and return some of the eye services removed from the scheme.

ZOS President MULENGA MUMA also proposed that NHIMA should not scrap off eye care services but should instead implement an annual limit of expenditure on each eye service they are offering.