<<Print>>

The last one week has seen the most bizarre situation regarding provision of healthcare through National Health Insurance. Last week, health institutions under the Christian Health Association expressed their frustration over payments for their services through the health insurance scheme. The Christian Health providers, like the other health providers, have not been reimbursed for their services in the last six months. Last week, they threatened to withdraw services from Health Insurance Card holders. The Minister of Health then rushed with a promise, to pay them today, Monday 11th March. Today Monday, there has been no payment and the Christian Health Centres have had to withdraw their services to poor health insurance card holders. This has resulted in misery, dejection and pain for thousands of poor sick Ghanaians across the 180 Christian Health Centres in the country. This needless suffering of the people is the direct result of the kind of governance that the NDC has subjected the country to. The Health Insurance Funds are statutory funds, 2�% VAT, set aside by law. The law also provides that service providers should be reimbursed within three (3) months. That providers have not been reimbursed for six (6) months is a major indictment on the performance of the NDC government, even though everyday, millions of Ghanaians pay the 2�% NHIL on goods and services that they buy. It beats understanding how in an oil economy Ghana, with over $1 billion in revenues accruing to government from oil exploitation alone, and government overspending/deficit of GH�8.7 billion in 2013 alone, we are still faced with health insurance not being paid for even though the monies have been collected by government. One cannot help but compare with the alacrity with which government has made spurious gargantuan payments of so called judgement debts, but cannot pay statutory monies meant for the health of the ordinary Ghanaian. It is a shameful day indeed for this country. ��signed�� Nana Akomea NPP Director of Communications