The executive management of NHIA, together with two deputy ministers of health
Deputy Minister of Health Kingsley Aboagye Gyedu has indicated that service providers and suppliers owed by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) will be paid all their arrears by the end of the year.
He said government has already made three payments to service providers and suppliers this year as part of the plan to clear the GH¢1.2m debt by the NHIA.
Additionally, he indicated that government is ready to make the forth payment by the end of the month to cover two more months arrears.
Speaking on the sidelines of a NHIA staff durbar in Accra, Mr Gyedu explained that government was doing everything possible to revive the scheme and prevent it from collapsing.
“There is no way that this scheme will be allowed to collapse. Have the confident in the new government that it will do well to make it flourish,” he said.
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is currently disbursing some GH¢60 million to service providers owed since June 2016. The scheme is GH¢70 million sooner or later for reimbursement of providers owed for quite a number of months.
New Directors
The staff durbar was held to bid outgoing directors farewell and introduce the newly-appointed directors.
Three new Deputy Chief Executives of the NHIA, Francis Owusu; Deputy Chief Executive, Finance & Investments, Deputy Chief Executive, Operations, Dr Lydia Baaba Dsane-Selby and Mrs Yaa Pokua Baiden, Deputy Chief Executive responsible for HR/Admin, were introduced at the event.
They take over from Edward Amissah-Nunoo and Alex Odoi-Nartey, Deputy Chief Executive for Admin/HR and Finance and Investment respectively.
The three new appointees are expected to consolidate the efforts of the Chief Executive, Dr Samuel Annor, to strengthen the NHIA.
They join the scheme with rich experiences from academia, coupled with impressive track records from previous employment.
Each expressed their readiness to work assiduously to support the government and to uplift the image of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Dr Annor who introduced the new appointees assured staff of government’s efforts to bring the NHIA back on track.
“We are aware of the threats you face at your work places from frustrated service providers who haven’t been paid. We are also aware of the depressing feeling of going to work knowing there will not be enough tools and materials to work with, the anxiety of members picking their cards when they suddenly fall sick and praying that their cards will be accepted and not told its cash-and-carry,” he said.
Dr Annor added that it is the intension of government to make it as good as possible to become the showcase of Africa.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri