Govt deliberately collapsing NHIS scheme, many might lose their lives - Minority alleges

The minority caucus in Parliament has accused the government of deliberately trying to collapse Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

According to the minority, the government has been intentionally depriving service providers of the needed funds, which has led to them operating on a cash-and-carry system.

Speaking at a press briefing at Parliament, the Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, said that many Ghanaians are at risk of losing their lives because the NHIS is no longer functioning.

He said that health facilities across the country are now demanding cash upfront before rendering services to sick Ghanaians who are on the NHIS.

“Under the current economic conditions, more Ghanaians than ever before will require the National Health Insurance Scheme to finance their medical needs. It is, therefore, unconscionable for government to hold on to monies collected in the name of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), rendering it incapable of meeting its obligations to service providers.

“This is going to increase morbidity and mortality across Ghana. As we speak, patients in some hospitals across the country are being asked to make an upfront payment for medical consumables and services. This is likely to increase morbidity in persons with hypertension, diabetes, sickle cell anaemia, HIV and other condition which require regular intake of medical consumables and services.

“Unfortunately, there rather seems to be an unwavering effort to collapse the National Health Insurance Scheme by depriving it of funds,” he said.

He added that the government has only released a little over 6 per cent of the funds it has collected through the National Health Insurance Levy to the NHIA in 2022.

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