The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has called on government to consider transferring the National Health Insurance Levy directly to the NHIL account at the Bank of Ghana and desist from the current practice where the levy is paid to the consolidated fund.

The Association is also appealing to the NHIA to suspended support to partners like the Health ministry and Parliamentarians, since they are non-core expenditure.

“We also recommend that government should take immediate steps to ensure direct transfers of national NHIL levy to their account at the Bank of Ghana and stop the current practice of paying NHIL to the consolidated account before the subsequent transfer to the NHIL account,” the GMA said.

In a statement at the end of their 4th National Executive Council meeting, the GMA also appealed to government to immediately work on their roadmap in ensuring the equitable distribution of medical staff across the country failure for which they will withdraw their services.

“Effective Monday, August 6, 2018, all doctors working in the public sector shall withdraw outpatients services. This would continue till Sunday, August 9, 2018.

“From Monday, August 20, 2018, to Sunday August 26, all emergency services will be withdrawn.

“From Monday, August 27,2018, all services offered by doctors in the public health facilities shall be withdrawn”.