NHIA ORDERS FASTER SERVICE FOR PATIENTS
By: Safiya Abdulrahim Dabban
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has directed Health Management Organizations (HMOs) to issue authorization codes to hospitals within one hour to stop delays in patient care.
NHIA also ordered hospitals to treat patients in emergencies even without codes, and if HMOs fail to respond within one hour, treatment should continue while HMOs will cover the cost.
The authority has introduced a self-service portal for enrollees to manage dependents, switch hospitals, and access other services online. HMOs have also been told to make surprise checks on hospitals to ensure compliance.
Officials stressed that patients must provide correct details during registration and can freely choose any NHIA-accredited hospital.