NHIA killing Health Facilities

With the worrying trend of its indebtedness to health facilities for several months, Most Rev. Joseph Afrifah-Agyekum, Bishop of Koforidua Diocese has called on the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to expedite action in paying Health facilities for services rendered under the scheme, since the health facilities were suffering.

He made the appeal in an interview with the Media, Saturday at Battor, during the joint launch of the 24^th World Day of Sick between the Accra Archdiocese and the Koforidua Diocese at the Battor Catholic Hospital.

The Bishops call comes in the wake of numerous others, appealing to the government and the NHIA to reimburse the health facilities for services rendered to subscribers of the National Health Insurance Scheme.

“As a result of the undue delays by the NHIA in paying health facilities, since May last year, some hospitals are grinding to a halt,” he said. “This is negatively affecting health delivery across the country”.

He reiterated his call to the NHIA to “…do whatever it takes to save the situation, because the hospitals are suffering.”

The Bishop who read Pope Francis’ message on the theme: Entrusting Onself to Merciful Jesus like Mary: ‘Do whatever he tells you’ (John 2:5), explained the importance of the World Day of the Sick, and said the day was instituted by Pope St. John Paul in the 90’s to raise awareness among health workers and the public on the need to be compassionate in sharing in the suffering of the sick.

Saying that health workers’ profession was a vocation, and a call to help alleviate the pains of the suffering sick, the Bishop charged them to make the care of the patient their utmost priority. He however, thanked health workers for their good works they were doing over the years, urging them to keep up it.

Very Rev. Fr. Francis Adoboli, Vicar General of the Accra Archdiocese, who chaired the function, underscored the need to for people to value their health since it was critical for the development.

He said the Catholic Church has since established health facilities to further Jesus Christ’s healing ministry to bring care to the many marginalised people in the society.

In a welcome address, Mr. Donatus Duncan Adaletey, Administrator of the Catholic Hospital, Battor, reminded health workers to extend love, respect and be compassionate to their patients, since they were important.

He said times have changed and patients have become more enlightened due to the availability of information on the internet, and warned health workers to guard against medico-legal issues because one big problem can cripple a health facility forever.

Calling for patients to be treated with dignity, the Administrator, who is also the Executive Secretary of Health in the Accra Archdiocese, urged health workers in Ghana particularly those in Catholic health facilities to always use words of “welcome, thank you and sorry’ in their service. “In the face of capitation, it is only courtesy to patients that will attract them to patronise our facilities,” he added.

The Administrator announced a Gh c 1 per month Leprosarium project some staff at the Catholic Hospital were already contributing to support the inmates at the Ho Leprosarium on subsequent World Day of the Sick.

Dr. Solomon Brookman, Medical Superintendent at the Hospital in a brief remark, said compassion was paramount in health delivery, and urged health workers to be compassionate, and be friendly to their patients.

At the programme, Madam Marie Helegbe of the Catholic Hospital Battor and Mr. Raphael Amuzu Dzameshie, of the Orthopaedic Training Centre, Adoagyiri-Nsawam, were awarded with a citation and presents as the Best Workers for the Senior Staff Category in the Accra Archdiocese and Kofordua Diocese respectively.

Likewise Mrs. Emelia Amoah, of the St. Andrews Clinic, Kordiabe, and Madam Charlotte Aboagye of the Holy Family Nurses’ Training College, Nkawkaw were also presented with citation and awards for the Junior Staff Category, for the Accra Archdiocese and Koforidua respectively.

Mr. Victus Kwaku Kpesese, Executive Secretary for Kofordua Diocesan Health Service, noted the essence of the awards, and defined the criterion used to shortlist those awarded, noting that it was based on long term dedication and merit in their works.

At function were representative of Traditional authorities, as wells rep of several health facilities and institutions in the Accra and Koforidua Arch/Dioceses.

The Catholic Hospital Choir which sang melodious tunes to spice up the function was in attendance, as well representatives of health facilities were .