SERVICE PROVIDERS in the Ablekuma Sub-Metro area in Accra are angry with the management of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) over what they describe as a deliberate attempt by the scheme to collapse their businesses.
Most of the service providers from various clinics and pharmacies, who pleaded anonymity, in an interview with City & Business Guide, said payments due them from NHIS had delayed for far too long, adding that the situation had caused most of them to lose the trust of their local and international suppliers.
According to the service providers, what drives them mad is the fact that despite the delay, they have not been paid any interests on the accumulated payments; yet they would be required to pay taxes.
“We just want to be humane rather than turning away patients who are in dire need of certain critical medications with the excuses that we do not have them.
I bet you that people would start dying if we take such action,” a spokesman for the aggrieved providers said.
He said the scheme owes the service providers so much, putting the lowest amount at GH¢70,000.
“Providers have not been paid for eight months and beyond. Management of the scheme both at the national and district levels have resorted to tossing us back and forth with numerous excuses.
“They have just refused to take into account that we are private businesses and not government institutions who they can play politics with.
“We have been depleting our stocks on a daily basis through serving patients but we need our monies back to get some supplies.
“Most of us have defaulted in paying our suppliers and they are on our necks every now and then to pay their money.
Where are we going to get money from to pay them with this unbusiness-like attitude?” he opined.
Though a few have indicated that they would continue to provide the services under constraint, others have warned that if the delays continue, they would have no option than to stop the provision of prescribed medicines to patients.
“This is the reason why some providers choose to offer part of the prescribed medicines to patients and leave them to look for the rest elsewhere,” one of the providers who only wanted to be known as Joe emphasized.
However, an attempt by this paper to contact the District Manager in charge of NHIS at Ablekuma yesterday proved futile, as he would not answer a phone call.
By Samuel Boadi
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