Management of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has denied reports that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is on the verge of collapse.
According to the Authority, it has consistently paid healthcare facilities an average of GHS150 million every 30 days especially over the past two years.
The NHIA equally explained that this phenomenon has not occurred this frequently since the inception of the Scheme some twenty years ago.
“Evidence of monthly claims payment can be found on the website (www.nhis.gov.gh/payments). We wish to state unequivocally that the impression created by the said story is inaccurate and unfortunate.”
National Health Insurance Scheme
Contained in a statement, the NHIA recounted that a news publication on 22nd November 2023, with the tagline, ‘NHIS almost collapsing, stay off the NHIS levy – Dormaahene says as he threatens legal action’, made rounds in the public space.
It revealed that the said story projected that Dormaahene Oseadeyo Agyeman Badu II bemoaned the current situation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Also, the NHIA stated that the highly revered Chief demonstrated concern and dedication to the long-term viability of the Scheme, for which the management of the NHIA is very grateful and appreciative.
Nonetheless, it emphasized the need to address the erroneous impression that the reportage created, suggesting that the Scheme is on the verge of collapse because the NHIA is not receiving the full amount of the NHIS levy, therefore depriving healthcare providers of their rightful claims.
NHIA commends Chief’s appeal to government
Reacting to the position of the chief, the NHIA management expressed its appreciation to Osagyefo’s call for the government to give the Scheme the full amount of the NHIL collected.
It explained that the chief’s strong plea for the government to leave the National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL) alone and provide it to the NHIA to bolster its functions, particularly the processing of claims for healthcare providers, is warranted.
“… It is imperative to put on record that no government during the Fourth Republic has ever provided the NHIA with all the NHIL collected, albeit enshrined in law – a situation that can be improved upon. We however strongly disapprove of the media narrative that seeks to create an impression of a collapsing NHIS.”
National Health Insurance Authority
Meanwhile, the NHIA encouraged the media to be circumspect in their reportage. It urged them to find out the real situation that exists within the healthcare facilities and “not to paint a picture that is at a considerable distance from the truth”.
“Millions of Ghanaians continue to depend on the NHIS to provide access to healthcare.”
National Health Insurance Authority
The effectiveness of the NHIS has in recent times been called into question. Various stakeholders and Ghanaians have expressed their disappointment over the inability of the Scheme to cover certain vital treatments.
The People’s National Convention (PNC) in the Bono Region in April this year, attributed the imminent collapse of Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to all 275 parliamentarians in the country.
Responding the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang Manu’s statement that the Scheme is no longer effective, preferring to pay for his own medical bills, PNC Bono Regional Secretary, Abdul Samad Nurudeen, accused the legislators of receiving unreasonable payments of large sums of money to monitor all NHIA-sponsored projects under the District Health Directorates.
He stated that the health minister was equally responsible for the dire state of the Scheme. As such, he lamented that instead of taking responsibility and ensuring the Scheme is functional by paying service providers and halting all the unnecessary payments to MPs, the Minister seems unconcerned.
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