Delays in NHIA reimbursements affecting healthcare delivery
The Mfantseman Municipal Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has expressed concern about delays on the part of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to pay service providers their claims.
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It says the hold-up is hampering the activities of the various health institutions in the municipality.
According to the Mfantseman Municipal Director of Health Services, Mr Martin Sumani Daanko, only GH¢72,239 out of GH¢670,528 submitted to the NHIA by the health institutions and CHPS compounds in the municipality in 2019 had been paid.
He, therefore, appealed passionately to the NHIA to release funds to pay service providers in the municipality in order to encourage them to continue to render healthcare services to the communities.
Mr Daanko was speaking at the annual performance review meeting of the Mfantseman Municipal Health Directorate held at Saltpond last Thursday.
It was on the theme: “Achieving universal health coverage through excellent delivery:
The role of stakeholders in Mfantseman”. The event was attended by doctors, physician assistants, midwives, nurses and traditional rulers in the municipality.
Challenges
Mr Daanko also mentioned the lack of funds as a major challenge facing health service institutions in the municipality, due mainly to the government’s inability to release money to the district directorate of health for its operations.
He said the staff situation in the health institutions in the municipality had improved following the posting of nurses, midwives and other categories of health staff.
He revealed further that malaria still remained the number one health problem reported to health institutions in the municipality, adding: “Malaria alone accounts for 38,043 cases reported to hospitals, representing 20.3 per cent of the 187,404 cases of various diseases reported and recorded in 2019.
HIV/AIDS
Mr Daanko said it was worrying that the Mfantseman Municipality had been ranked the second highest in HIV prevalence in the Central Region after Upper Denkyira East. He said the municipality recorded a total of 2,764 people infected with the disease in 2018, made up of 1,913 females and 851 males.
He stated that last year the World AIDS Day was held at Mankessim on December 1, to draw attention to the disease.
The ceremony, he said, was attended by the Central Regional Minister, Mr Kwamena Duncan.
No case of polio
The municipal health director noted with pride that no case of polio, guinea worm, measles and cholera was recorded in the municipality in 2019. He said all suspected cases of the diseases, for which samples were sent to laboratories for testing, proved negative.
He said the Municipal Health Directorate organised a staff durbar and awards ceremony in 2019 to recognise the hard work of deserving staff.
On the occasion, the overall best worker was awarded with a table top fridge, while the runner-up was given a 32-inch digital satellite TV set. In all, 14 members of staff were awarded for their hard work.