COVID-19 Fund donation was less than 5% of our CSR budget - NHIA
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has justified the motivation behind a GH₵250,000 donation to the National COVID-19 Trust Fund after it was criticised for its charity despite its high indebtedness to health service providers across the country.
The NHIA in a press release today said the donation "though significant, represents less than 5% of the entire Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Budget for 2020."
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"Indeed, it is equivalent to 0.06% of funds paid in claims this year, which amounts to approximately GHC400 Million to healthcare providers as claims reimbursement".
Justification
The NHIA further explained that the donation would support national efforts to control the spread of the Coronavirus in the country which would result in reduced claims from service providers if a lot more infections were to occur.
"The ability to control the Covid-19 pandemic within the country would eventually protect the NHIF in terms of reduced claims from service providers," the release said.
"In advanced countries where Universal Health Coverage is achieved, the equivalent of the National Health Service (NHS) as pertains for the UK or PhilHealth for the Philippines will cover all expenses for Covid-19 related treatments albeit with additional emergency funding from government. Therefore the donation is the NHIS way of demonstrating good corporate citizenship by supporting government initiatives that will provide health education, prevention and enhancement of health infrastructure to fight this unseen enemy".
Criticism
In the wake of the NHIA donation, the President of the Private Health Facilities Association of Ghana, Samuel Boakye Donkor revealed that the NHIA owes its members between 6 to 14 months arrears in claims.
He said the NHIS should prioritize paying them their monies rather than making donations.
“It is really something bad and painful. You owe us from last year July to date. Others have not been paid for 14 months. We just heard that the government has given you money to pay us and you have given that money back to the government saying it is your cooperate social responsibility. Paying us and enabling us to serve Ghanaians is also social responsibility. I recently sent a claim from February 2019, and when you had some money, you’ve gone to give to the COVID-19 Fund, what kind of life is this?” he said in an interview with Citi FM.
Read the entire statement below;
