The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has announced that mental health treatment will be catered for by the Authority by the end of 2023.
Speaking to journalists in Accra, Chief Executive Officer of the Authority, Dr. Bernard Oko-Boye said the NHIA is here to help persons with mental health issues.
“Before the end of this year, the National Health Insurance Authority is for the first time going to pay for mental health conditions, at least the topmost conditions that are seen daily in our hospitals will be covered by the Authority, and we are currently working on the details as to the cost, the code and other such things,” he said
He however added that the NHIA is still working on some details before it implements this initiative.
“We are working on the details as to the cost and how to go about it, the coding and all that. These are things that we will go through. So that when people take care of our brothers and sisters with depression, schizophrenia, suicidal tendencies, all those mental conditions, they will not have to go through the burden of finding money for themselves.”
Dr. Oko-Boye further noted that the Mental Health Authority will now be covering the cost of drugs that “are not available from the Authority.”