Government to clear NHIS arrears by end of year
The government has outlined a schedule to clear all the GH¢1.2 billion arrears to service providers and suppliers of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) by the end of this year.
A Deputy Minister of Health, Mr Kingsley Aboagye-Gyedu, said the government had already made three payments to service providers and suppliers this year.
He said the government was ready to make the fourth payment by the end of this month to cover two months arrears.
Mr Aboagye-Gyedu made this known last Friday at a durbar of the staff of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in Accra.
The durbar was to bid outgoing directors farewell, introduce new directors and outline strategies for improving the NHIS.
The NHIS was created by the National Health Insurance Act of August 2003, and is one of very few attempts by the government to implement a national-level, universal health insurance programme.
Mr Aboagye-Gyedu said the NHIS was dear to the President, so the government would support the scheme to grow and offer sustainable quality health care to the public.
“There is no way that this scheme will be allowed to collapse. Have confidence in the new government that it will do well to make it flourish,” he said.
Public forum
The deputy minister said the government would soon organise a public forum for stakeholders to discuss the future of the NHIS.
He said it was the intention of the government “to make it as good as possible” to become a showcase in Africa and the world at large.
Mr Aboagye-Gyedu urged the NHIA staff to give their best to ensure the success and sustainability of the scheme.
NHIS funding
The Chief Executive of the NHIA, Dr Samuel Annor, expressed worry that the NHIS did not have any financial reserves but was rather indebted to service providers and contractors.
He said the authority would explore other sources of funding for the NHIS.
He appealed to Ghanaians to also offer their widow’s mite to support the scheme.
Fraudulent claims
Dr Annor said the authority would also take drastic measures to guard against fraudulent claims and administrative lapses.
“We are determined to use the various government wings to make it unworthy to defraud the scheme,” he stated.
Dr Annor said the priority of the NHIA was to go beyond the offer of primary health care to quality health care.
