NHIS services have improved -GMA

Mr. S. Mensah, CEO, NHIA

The President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr. E. Adom Winful, says there has been remarkable improvement in the services of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Answering questions from the press at the end of a GMA National Executive Council two-day conference held at Elmina on Sunday, Dr. Winful disclosed that over the past months, the NHIS had performed creditably, and hoped the trend would continue.

His comment comes at a time media reports in some parts of the country suggest that the scheme was in a poor state, and near collapse.

Touching on the issue of security in a press statement issued earlier, the GMA called on the government to halt the rising incidence of mob action and lawlessness in the country, citing several cases of armed robbery and killings that had recently taken centre stage in the country.

For instance, the four-point press statement cited the recent killing of a policeman on duty at Kumasi, as well as several attacks on individuals, resulting in fatalities.

Dr. Winful, who read the press statement, said residents of Oyibi, near Accra, report of a disturbing established trend of weekly armed robbery attacks, resulting in a state of siege and fear.

He said the association was therefore, making a passionate appeal to the government to adequately equip the security agencies, to enable them deal effectively with these criminal activities.

According to him, the GMA had asked its members to report all suspicious cases involving gunshot wounds to the police for further investigation.

He also expressed concern about the high incident of road accidents in the country, with its accompanying loss of human life and property, adding that the continuous carnage on the roads had not improved, but rather worsened in recent times.

This, Dr. Winful noted, had brought undue pressure on the health delivery system, and the economy of the country as a whole.

He therefore, called on the police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) to intensify its road safety practices campaigns, and clamp down on the use of mobile phones during driving, drink driving, and driving under the influence of all forms of illicit drugs, as a way of reducing road accidents.

In addition, Dr. Winful called on the MTTU to ensure that all vehicles that ply the roads are truly road worthy, recommending that all drivers be made to undergo re-testing for re-certification to drive over a period of between four and five years.

On the single spine pay policy, Dr. Winful called on the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to, as soon as possible, engage the GMA to thrash out the issues relating to conditions of service, market premium, and inducement for a smooth implementation of the policy in the health sector.

He said the GMA was expected to hold its 52nd Annual General Conference in Koforidua from 2nd to 7th November this year, where there will be in-depth analysis of maternal healthcare in Ghana.