The Minority in Parliament has called on the Finance Minister as a matter of urgency to rescue the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) from experiencing a deeper financial crisis.
In a statement signed by the Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, he revealed the critical situation facing the NHIS.
According to him, the NHIS is facing a severe financial crisis, having received no financial allocations from the Ministry of Finance so far this year.
“The Minority, therefore, calls on the Bawumia-led Economic Management Team to direct the Minister responsible for Finance to release and transfer all outstanding payments to the National Health Insurance Fund by close of the week to prevent the scheme from being imperilled due to lack of funds,” Mr. Akandoh said.
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The Minority urged strict adherence to the National Health Insurance Act (Act 852), warning of severe repercussions for any failure to comply.
“We urge the Minister responsible for Finance to fully comply with the provisions of the National Health Insurance Act (Act 852), as non-compliance has clear consequences outlined in the Act,” Mr. Akandoh added.
He added that their findings showed the National Health Insurance Fund has a low balance of less than GH¢ 1.0 million at the Bank of Ghana.
“This gross and wanton neglect has driven the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) into a precarious financial state of comatose requiring intensive care services to save it from impending and inevitable collapse,” he said.
The Minority, through Mr. Akandoh, also condemned the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration’s deliberate disregard for the NHIS’s financial stability, resulting in its current bankruptcy.
“In fact, the NHIA is bankrupt because it has not received any releases from the Ministry of Finance this year. In addition, our checks at the Bank of Ghana show that the National Health Insurance Fund has less than GHS 1.0 million. This is a fund that is bankrupt, to say the least,” the minority added.
Although the NHIA service providers and some Ghanaians have expressed frustration over the delayed payment of funds by the NHIA for services rendered, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) CEO, Dr. Dacosta Aboagye, has rejected claims that the organization is facing financial difficulties.
Dr. Aboagye emphasized that the NHIA has a strong financial standing, stating that the authority distributes a substantial amount of between GH₵180 million and GH₵250 million every month. Such a high level of expenditure would be impossible if the NHIA was indeed facing financial insolvency, as alleged.
“It can never be bankrupt; a scheme paying between one-hundred-and-eighty and two-hundred-and-fifty million can never be bankrupt, but there is also the case that the Ministry of Finance should release the funds to the NHIS: once we have a constant release, then we would not have problems, and it is sustainable,” Dr. Dacosta responded.
