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Children’s hospital decries GHc 500,000 NHIA debt

By CitiFMonline
Health Childrens hospital decries GHc 500,000 NHIA debt
FEB 19, 2017 LISTEN

The management of the Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital in Accra, has revealed that the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) owes it over GHc 500,000.

The arrears according to the hospital’s management, have had a toll on day to day running of the hospital over the past 12 months.

In a Citi News interview, the Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr. Eric Sefa, revealed the last NHIA payment was in March 2016, saying “that It is very challenging but we are surviving.”

“The health insurance coverage is about 60 percent so we have 40 percent of people who pay cash and that is what is taking us through. We have suppliers that we owe. The people supply us with medicines and other items so that if we are not able to pay them early, they also refuse to supply you with the items so sometimes you are forced to buy the things with cash.”

Dr. Sefa added that, a settlement from the NHIA would be critical because “we need it to run our daily activities for the children in the wards. We need to buy food items for them every day so it all goes a long way to affect us.”

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), has said it is collaborating with the Ministry of Health to release monies to pay hospitals overdue NHIS claims.

speaking to Citi News, the Director of Communications for the NHIA, Selorm Adonoo, explained that the delay can be attributed to the processes involved in releasing monies.

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), recently inaugurated a  claims  Payment Software to facilitate the smooth and early payment of claims to service providers.

This comes at a time when some service providers have threatened to cut services to the scheme over delays in payment of their claims.


By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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