In a sharp and unyielding critique of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammy Gyamfi, Esq., the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has called out what he describes as a deliberate attempt by the NPP to misrepresent the origins and development of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana.
His remarks aim to set the record straight on the genesis and evolution of the National Health Insurance Scheme, which he argues the NPP has continually misconstrued for political gain.
Sammy Gyamfi unequivocally stated that the foundations of the National Health Insurance Scheme were laid by the NDC under the leadership of the late former President Jerry John Rawlings.
He argued that contrary to the New Patriotic Party’s narrative, the concept of a nationwide health insurance scheme was not an innovation of the NPP but was piloted by the NDC/Rawlings government.
According to Lawyer Gyamfi, the NPP, which was in opposition at the time, initially opposed the idea of a single national health insurance scheme.
The NPP’s contribution to the NHIS, as Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi detailed, began with the introduction of the District Mutual Health Insurance Schemes (DMHIS) through the passage of Act 650 in 2003 under the former President John Agyekum Kufuor’s administration.
This Act, which the NPP administration enacted, according to the National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress only established a National Health Insurance Council responsible for registering, licensing, and regulating various health insurance schemes, supervising their operations, and accrediting healthcare providers.
The Limitations of Act 650
One critical point Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi highlighted is the inherent limitations of the NPP’s initial health insurance model.
He strongly posited that the scheme established under Act 650 was fragmented and non-portable, meaning health insurance coverage was restricted to the specific districts where individuals were registered.
This lack of portability, Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi argued, undermined the concept of a truly national health insurance scheme, as Ghanaians could not access healthcare outside their registered districts.
“It is worthy of note, that this scheme was not potable. An administrative directive by the Kuffour government for the issuance of universal NHIS cards in September 2008 did not and could not change the scheme from a District Mutual Health Insurance (DMHIS) Scheme into a national one. It continued to remain a DMHIS”.
Sammy Gyamfi Esq, NDC National Communications Officer
NDC’s Reforms: The Birth of a Truly National Health Insurance Scheme
Highlighting the birth of a truly National Health Insurance Scheme, Sammy Gyamfi Esq., the NDC’s National Communications Officer pointed out that it was not until the NDC returned to power that significant reforms were made to transform the NHIS into the national scheme known today.
He indicated that in 2012, the NDC government sponsored Act 852, which repealed the earlier Act 650, adding that the new legislation was a game-changer, establishing a single National Health Insurance Scheme managed by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
According to Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi unlike its predecessor, the NHIS under Act 852 is a comprehensive, unified system that provides health insurance coverage to all Ghanaians, regardless of their location.
Setting the Historical Record Straight
Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi firmly affirmed his opposition, denouncing what he perceives as the ruling New Patriotic Party’s deliberate misinformation about the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana
He underscored the NDC’s role in laying the groundwork for a more inclusive and accessible health insurance system, contrary to the NPP’s narrative of self-congratulatory innovation.
In conclusion, Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi challenged the NPP to stop what he terms their “deliberate and entrenched mischief” regarding the NHIS’s origins.
He called on the public to recognize the NDC’s significant contributions to the healthcare sector, particularly its pivotal role in transforming the NHIS into the robust national scheme it is today.
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