Has NHIS included the treatment of childhood cancer?

Claim

The Vice President of Ghana and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, announced on February 7th, 2024 in his vision and mission speech that the NHIS coverage had been extended to include childhood cancers.

Explanation

A new G-DRG for Radiotherapy G-DRG and chemotherapy sessions has been developed for four childhood cancers, as stated in the National Health Insurance Scheme Tariff Operations Manual from July 2022, on pages 38 and 41. The G-DRG tariff includes the cost of monitoring investigations and consumables required to administer chemotherapy drugs, but not the cost of the chemotherapy medicines themselves as they are already covered under the NHIS medicine list. This tariff is only applicable for specific day-based/inpatient-based radiotherapy sessions for managing the four childhood cancers.

Verification

The Vice President's claim in his vision and mission speech was accurate.