A RESEARCH CONSULTANT URGENTLY NEEDED
The Ghana NCD Alliance is hiring the service of a consultant to conduct a situational analysis/study of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to provide a holistic assessment of how NCDs are prioritized within the NHIS and its implementation progress as far as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are concerned.
Background
According to the National NCD Policy, the increasing burden of NCDs and associated risk factors have implications for healthcare delivery in Ghana. It further emphasizes that to achieve the goal of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Ghana comprehensively which truly leaves no one behind, it is imperative to guarantee access to high-quality healthcare for individuals with NCDs. This is to be facilitated through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and supplementary funding mechanisms. This strategic approach is crucial in ensuring that no individual is excluded, fostering a healthcare system that provides both medical excellence and financial security for those grappling with NCDs. Currently, the NHIS benefit package includes some NCDs, this is not comprehensive and it’s poorly funded leaving many people who live in low-resource and remote communities to suffer catastrophic out-of-pocket payment associated with the treatment.
The NHIS is mandated to provide treatment of both communicable and NCDs, unfortunately, a lot of spending and investment is channeled to communicable diseases. Many literatures exist on the NHIS with recommendations for improving the Scheme’s coverage for communicable diseases, unfortunately, there is little or none that exists specifically in assessing the priority for NCDs in the Scheme.
The scope of the study is to identify among others
- the level of commitment invested in NCDs.
- the various types/number of NCDs the scheme is expected to treat/manage.
- the number of NCD services and medications currently being administered without financial burden on the patients.
- the number of NCD services and medications offered with subsidized cost and those that are entirely out-of-pocket paid.
- examine and provide insight into the premium and exemption policies for the category of NHIS holders and explore other finance sources for the NHIS implementation.
- analyze the extent of benefits available for mental health services under the NHIS coverage.
The outcomes of the NHIS analysis are
- to assist the government and key policy/decision makers understand and appreciate the need to prioritize NCDs within the NHIS benefit package
- to inform policy development to improve NCD care, treatment and support
- to support the government in achieving the overall policy objective of the NCD Policy and Strategy objective.
- to support the government efforts towards the attainment of the UHC.
The consultancy shall be guided by the following specific tasks.
THE SPECIFIC TASKS INCLUDE
- Conduct a literature review on the NHIS and other nations’ Insurance schemes and how NCDs services have been covered or otherwise
- Conduct one-on-one in-person/virtual interviews with policy makers, CSOs, people with lived experiences, research institutions, the media etc.
- Conduct a focal group discussion at the community level involving people living with NCDs, caregivers, community members
- Conduct a survey seeking public opinion about the scheme with respect to NCDs
- Provide innovative means of financing NCD in Ghana to improve the NHIS.
- Review existing data and documents on NHIS and other related documents
- Develop a clear and analytical report with relevant recommendations for policy development
- Connect the interlink between NCDs and Ghana’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC)
- Present the findings of the study to stakeholders during a stakeholder’s forum
Expected Deliverables
- An inception reports
- Data collection and reporting schedule
- Draft report
- PowerPoint presentation of the report
- Final report
Duration of the task
The duration for this consultancy exercise is 3months from 1st February, 2024 – 30th April, 2024
Qualifications for the Consultancy
- Must be a research institution or an individual/consortium with 5 years’ experience in a related field
- Experience in public health and policy analysis
- Demonstrate experience of having undertaken similar consultancy
- Good analytical and documentation/report writing skills
- Excellent command of oral and written English
- Cultural awareness and sensitivity to gender and disability issues
Process to follow
Interested applicants should send a CV and a letter describing their interest. capacity and relevant technical experience to conduct this study to GhanaNCDalliance@gmail.com and copy labrammusah@gmail.com by Friday, 9th February, 2024.
NOTE: Email subject must be ‘GhNCDA_ Research Application on NCDs and NHIS’.