Dr. Dacosta Aboagye, CEO of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), has emphatically refuted claims of bankruptcy, affirming that the organization maintains a robust financial position and remains fully solvent.
Dr. Aboagye highlighted the NHIA’s financial robustness, pointing to a substantial monthly payout range of GH₵180-250 million, which demonstrates the authority’s capacity to honor its financial commitments and underscores its fiscal stability.
Accordingly, Dr. Aboagye argued that the NHIA’s significant monthly payouts contradict bankruptcy claims, as such expenditures would be unfeasible without a solid financial foundation.
“It can never be bankrupt; a scheme paying between one-hundred-and-eighty and two-hundred-and-fifty million can never be bankrupt, but there is also the case that the Ministry of Finance should release the funds to the NHIS”.
Dr. Dacosta Aboagye
Furthermore, Dr. Dacosta Aboagye emphasized that a consistent and reliable release of funds from the Ministry of Finance would enable the NHIA to pay its contractors without delays, ensuring a sustainable payment system and alleviating payment challenges.
According to the NHIA CEO, this issue was addressed a few weeks ago, and the authority is currently awaiting the Finance Ministry’s release of funds, which has been assured by the Minister himself, and is expected to happen in the near future.
As such, Dr. Aboagye offered a reassuring message to the public, stating that NHIA’s funding will remain stable and uninterrupted, despite Ghana’s ongoing engagement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Dr. Aboagye clarified that the NHIA’s resources are entirely independent of the IMF’s financial support, and furthermore, the NHIS is safeguarded under the IMF’s social protection program, ensuring the scheme’s continued stability and security.
He further alleviated concerns by stating that the NHIA’s financial stability will not be compromised by the upcoming December election, which often brings financial uncertainties, and assured that the authority’s funds will remain secure and uninterrupted.
NHIA Chief Urges Government to Release Funds
Moreover, Dr. Dacosta Aboagye emphasized that ultimately, all Ghanaians are contributing to the scheme’s sustainability, and he urged the government to release the necessary funds, stressing that the NHIA is aware that the government has the financial resources to do so.
“I think social protection is very important. We cannot put the vulnerable in distress, and I believe that the ministry of finances would do the needful by releasing the funds to us”.
Dr. Dacosta Aboagye
He further expressed confidence that the Ministry would inevitably release the necessary funds to the NHIA, enabling the authority to settle its outstanding payments to contractors without delay.
Recently, the NHIA has faced rumors of bankruptcy due to its inability to pay contractors in a timely manner, compounding allegations of financial mismanagement that have impacted the delivery of quality healthcare services.
The NHIA’s swift rebuttal of these claims has brought a sense of relief to numerous Ghanaians, particularly those in rural areas, who heavily rely on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) for access to essential healthcare services.
The NHIA also announced that it is working in tandem with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to establish a special task force aimed at addressing the issue of health facilities charging unauthorized fees, in response to widespread allegations of illegal charging at NHIS-supported hospitals across the country.
Accordingly, the NHIA has strongly denounced the unlawful charges imposed by some health facilities on clients, characterizing it as a reputational damage to the scheme, and issued a stern warning to these facilities to cease their illegal activities immediately.
Dr. Aboagye Da Costa disclosed that the scheme is exploring ways to make health insurance compulsory for visitors, in line with its goal of achieving universal health coverage.
He also confirmed that the collaboration with the National Identification Authority (NIA) to link the Ghana Card to healthcare services remains active and ongoing.
Meanwhile, the NHIA disclosed its collaboration with the NIA to register 6.3 million children for Ghana Cards to ensure comprehensive healthcare coverage and national identity documentation for Ghana’s younger population.
