The Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) has observed that there is a gradual loss of confidence in the health system in Ghana as a result of the huge indebtedness of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to Health Facilities.
According to Mr. Peter Yeboah, Executive Director of CHAG, the Scheme owes its facilities over GH¢ 100 million for services rendered to National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Members and Clients, spanning over eleven months.
Owing to this development, Physicians were compelled to issue patients with prescriptions to buy medicines from the open market, a situation which was causing patients, NHIS members and clients to lose hope in health care delivery.
In an interview, Mr. Yeboah, noted that CHAG was worried about the level of indebtedness, describing it as an “imminent humanitarian disaster of massive proportion”.
He said what was needed now was an urgent action by the Government to salvage the health system from an imminent collapse by settling the debts owed by the NHIA to service providers.
“We have gone beyond our endurance limit,” Mr Yeboah observed, stressing that “the situation is so critical that basic healthcare services to mothers, children, aged, poor, needy and the marginalised are affected”.
He noted that “our suppliers are unwilling to supply us with essential consumables and medicines, our medical equipment are breaking down due to inadequate funds for repairs and maintenance, medical services have become unbearable, with life-saving infrastructures deteriorating”.
He said this was seriously affecting the quality of healthcare delivery in the country, which had gotten to the stage where “we are unable to guarantee quality of medicines the patients are buying and using.”
On Government’s campaign promise to fix the challenges bedeviling the NHIS, the Executive Secretary stated that, CHAG appreciated Government’s intention, but expressed worry about the fact that there was no roadmap of repayment and settling the debts owed the health facilities three months after the new administration assumed office.
CHAG is a faith-based health network Organization comprising 21 Christian Church denominations and over 183-member Health Institutions spread throughout the country. Established in 1967, with 25 health institutions, the Association which provides about 40 per cent of health care in the country, has most of its facilities located in remote areas, with most of its clients being NHIS subscribers.
From Kwesi Yirenkyi Boateng
