Blame game over near collapse of Krachi hospital

Officials at the Krachi West District Hospital in the Volta Region are reeling over the near collapse of the hospital.

They say the National Health Insurance Authority has continuously refused to pay claims made by the hospital.

Medial officer in charge of the hospital, Hilarous Abio told Joy News they are “financially distressed” because their bills are locked up with the National Health Insurance Authority.

According to him, ninety eight per cent of patients in the hospital are subscribers of the National Health Insurance Scheme which has made the situation even more difficult.

“As we speak now we virtually owe all our suppliers, drugs; non drugs. I mean literally everything that we need to run our hospital,” he said.

“We are owing our staff allowances as far back as October 2010,” he added.

He said the facility has not received any payment since July 2010.

“There is no promise there is any money coming soon," he feared, adding “as we speak now we are owing in billions and we are finding it very difficult to get new supplies,” he stated.

He said efforts to get the scheme managers in the district to reimburse the facility has been to no avail, saying, the NHIA should reimburse them at least for a month, “otherwise it is obvious we are going to ground to a halt,” he stated.

But the Volta Regional Manager of the NHIS, Elliot Akotose says the hospital officials are to blame for the precarious situation the hospital finds itself.

He blamed the hospital officials for filing their claims very late.

“The delay in their submission is the cause of what is happening now. Not until monies are released we cannot pay them,” he added.

Corroborating the statement by the district manager, the deputy director of corporate affairs of the NHIS, Eric Ametor Quarme said officials of the Krachi District Hospital unduly failed to submit their claims on time for scheme managers to work on.

He said the days when fraudulent claims are not thoroughly vetted and paid out are over, adding, hospital officials "must be alive to their responsibilities".

He said the hospital officials should expect to have their claims paid within the week.

Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana