The Minority in Parliament has said the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is dying under the Akufo-Addo government.
According to Member of Parliament for Juaboso, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, service providers prefer treating patients who pay cash or use private health insurance to patients who rely on the NHIA card.
He noted that President Akufo-Addo whilst in opposition “claimed that the National Health Insurance Scheme was dead and that he was coming to revive it. However, his annual payments towards the National Health Insurance Scheme tell a different story.”
At a press conference in Accra on Tuesday May 10, the legislator stated that the NHIS “is collapsing not because of inadequate funds or inadequate legislation but purely as the result of poor public financial management of the fund.”
He blamed the current administration of misapplication of funds collected as levies and SSNIT contributions for other government projects which has left the NHIS in a ‘medical comatose.’
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Mr. Akandoh, who doubles as the Ranking Member on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, said under President Nana Akufo-Addo, lodging of the NHIL and 2.5% of SSNIT contributions into the National Health Insurance Fund has been left to the dictates of the Finance Minister which contravenes section 52(1) of the National Health Insurance Act 85.
The National Democratic Congress was also disappointed that NHIS cards are used for only basic services since cardholders have no faith that they will receive good service should they use their cards for secondary or tertiary health services.
The minority added that “what makes matters even worse is that his lies about the replacement of NHIA cards with Ghana Card are also false. This Year’s allocation provides some GHS54.60million for the printing of some 2.6million NHIA cards at GHS21.00 each.”
While noting that they cannot allow the future of the scheme to be hijacked by Nana Akufo-Addo and his ‘law-breaking Finance Minister’, they reminded “our bible quoting Finance Minister to read what Jesus said in Mark 12:17, “…Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s…” and do accordingly. Give funds collected in the name of the National Health Insurance Scheme to the National Health Insurance Scheme period.”
