Ashanti health facilities cry for savior

Health delivery by most Government Hospitals in the Ashanti Region is on the decline due to non- payment of the Capitation grant. The Chronicle has gathered that the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) owes five Hospitals in Kumasi GHc544, 804,197.

The NHIA, The Chronicle understands, owes the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for six months, while the rest of the affected health facilities are owed nine months and above.

The development, according to the Metropolitan Health Director, Dr. Edward Akwasi Awudzi-Yeboah is having dire consequences on these facilities, especially when they are no more under government subvention.

“Health facilities are supposed to use their internally-generated funds (IGF) to purchase consumables and needed logistics and medicines patients need,” he said.

According to him, the NHIA failure to settle its indebtedness has crippled the Hospitals as they could no more pay their partners who supply them with drugs. He explained that facilities are supposed to be paid in bulk amount for Out Patient Department (OPD) services based on capitation rate and the number of people who select the given facility as their preferred primary provider (PPP).

Dr. Awudzi-Yeboah noted that the total capitation rate in Ashanti region, which is to be transferred to the provider at the beginning of the service period (beginning of the month), is so low when compared to facilities in other regions.

He cited Manhyia Hospital as an example saying from January to October, total number of OPD attendance (Both Adult and Children was 108,932 of which Children were 27,635 and Adults 81,297, for which the Hospital was given GHc369,399.98 as capitation amount for the months of January to October Primary Cases.

He indicated that for the same period, a district hospital in any of other regions with the same number of OPD attendance would have received at least GHc965, 333.47.

He said this is because the NHIA pays 8.91 per Adult and 8.72 per child at the OPD for primary cases services in other regions.

“The same thing applies to all categories of health facilities and that Hospitals and clinics in Ashanti are given less funds to provide same OPD services which is a different story in other Regions.”

He chastised the NHIA for not paying the funds due them at the beginning of the month and complained that they are paid in the middle of the month and in some instances at the end of the month.

According to him, Capitation amount for October was paid around the middle of November and that capitation for November was yet to be paid, even though November has almost ended. He, therefore, appealed to the Government to prevail on the NHIA to reimburse the health facilities as soon as possible, to prevent the collapse of the health care system.

The Health Director also called on the government to direct the NHIA to increase the capitation rate to address the gap in funding OPD primary care between Ashanti and other Regions.

Dr. Awudzi-Yeboah noted that NHIS accredited Hospitals owe so much that creditors are refusing to offer products and services to them on credit and disclosed that the facilities owe the Regional Medical stores (RMS) to the extent that RMS is not able to supply most of the essential drugs.

According to him, Health Facilities have resorted to private pharmacists for supply of essential medications on credit but they are also refusing to supply drugs and other materials to health facilities owing to the huge debt. He said as a result, poor patients are asked to procure their own medications moving from one pharmacy shop to another in frustration.