NHIS not collapsing; we’ve been paying facilities GHS150million every 30 days this past 2 years — Management
The management of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has denied claims that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is on the verge of collapse.
In a press release issued on Thursday, November 23, the NHIA said it has noted with concern a recent story published on Ghanaweb.com the previous day with the headline "NHIS almost collapsing, stay off the NHI levy - Dormaahene says as he threatens legal action".
The story reported comments by the Omanhene of Dormaa Traditional Area, Osagyefo Oseadeyo Agyeman Badu II, in which he expressed worry about the current state of the NHIS and called on government to channel the full National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL) collected to the NHIA.
However, the corporate affairs director of the NHIA said "We strongly disapprove of the media narrative that seeks to create an impression of a collapsing NHIS."
It stressed, "The NHIA has consistently paid healthcare facilities an average of One Hundred and Fifty Million Ghana Cedis (GHS150 Million) every Thirty (30) days especially over the past two years. A phenomenon that has not occurred this frequently since the inception of the Scheme some twenty years ago."
To back the claim, the NHIA directed the public to check its website for evidence of monthly claims payments to facilities.
The release emphasized that "We hereby encourage the media to find out the real situation that exists in our healthcare facilities and not to paint a picture that is at a considerable distance from the truth. Millions of Ghanaians continue to depend on the NHIS to provide access to healthcare."
The NHIA thanks the Dormaahene for his concern but maintains the NHIS is not on the verge of collapse as reported.
It however acknowledges government can do more to release the full NHIL as mandated by law to make things better.