The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has questioned the refusal of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to implement the 3-year old proposals from stakeholders to bridge the funding gap for the scheme.
The GMA argued that although there is indeed a funding gap, the NHIA should desist from using it as an excuse for its failure to pay outstanding claims of medical facilities nationwide.
[contextly_sidebar id=”ZRvBxMffDJtRxNCZPrqWvnOu2yGq0Tg6″]According to Dr. Yankson, the funding gap has been an issue for years “but all this while, as an Authority, what is their proposal to solve this problem? They’ve had series of meetings with stakeholders – we have given them inputs as to some of the things to do to ensure that going forward, things are smooth.”
The Deputy General Secretary of the Association, Dr. Justice Yankson on the Citi Breakfast Show observed that “health facilities are on their knees…because they haven’t been paid up to a year…this is not the time for funding gap analysis because we’ve all gone through this exercise for years now.”
Health facilities across the country have been demanding the payment of all outstanding arrears owed them by the NHIA.
Some have threatened to re-introduce the cash and carry system to help with the running of their facilities.
The GMA has on a number of occasions charged the NHIA to take immediate steps to pay the monies to save the nation’s healthcare system.
The Finance Minister on Wednesday announced that government has remitted GHC 1.06million into the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) for the 2013 and 2014 fiscal years.
The Authority has confirmed receipt of the money but listed a number of factors responsible for the financial gap hampering the prompt payment of claims.
He added that, “we’ve had series of discussions, meetings where some of the solutions have been given them. They as an Authority are also mandated to think outside the box and come out with solutions. We didn’t start today. It’s been with us for the last four to five years so what have they been doing all this while?”
He was convinced that if government had listened to the suggestions of all stakeholders and implemented them, “we may not have been here. We’ve been at this gap financing analysis for the last three to four years but yet still nothing has happened.”
“Experts have been brought from elsewhere to give technical advice, consultancy services and all that so for me, if they haven’t implemented policies that will reduce that funding gap, then I don’t think it’s an appropriate time to introduce that excuse. The truth is that people are not getting healthcare,” he stressed.
By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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