It is illegal to charge NHIS clients - Director

Health Service providers who are operating under the National Health Scheme (NHIS) in the Upper East Region have been warned to desist from co-charging NHIS clients who visit their facilities to access healthcare.

The Regional Director of the Scheme, Mr Sebastian Alagpulinsa, gave the warning at separate fora in the Bawku Municipal and the Kassena-Nankana Districts.

It was organized for stakeholders to dialogue on ways forward to improve upon the scheme.

He said it was a breach of contract to charge clients under the contractual agreement signed between the health service providers and the National Health Authority (NHIA).

Mr Alagpulinsa gave the assurance that the Scheme was doing everything possible to help ensure that the health service providers were paid on time and appealed to them to adhere to the contractual agreement.

He expressed optimism that with the implementation of the capitation and the biometric module, which were ongoing in the Region, it would help fast track the payment system for the health service providers and also help eliminate impersonation and fraud, which were associated with the health service providers and clients.

Mr David Samari, the Bawku Municipal Director, stated that under the capitation, clients had the option to select and change their preferred Health Centres for treatment if they were not satisfied with the service providers.

He mentioned that so far the Bawku Municipal Scheme had issued 88,989 Biometric cards to clients and also registered 10,456 indigenes, 5197 pregnant women, and issued 70 cards to mentally challenged persons.

He assured the scheme that the Assembly had factored onto its plans to build office and staff accommodation for the Scheme in the Binduri District and urged his colleague political heads in the Region to do so.

The District Chief Executive for the Binduri, Mr Daniel Adoliba, condemned the attitude of some health service providers and clients who defrauded the scheme and asked them to desist from the practice.