Deputy Director of Communications at the NHIA, Selorm Adonoo, told Accra-based Kasapa FM on Wednesday that, the Ministries of Health and Finance together with the leadership of the NHIA, were working to improve the situation.

The Chamber of Pharmacy, which is a supplier of medicines to some NHIS healthcare providers on Wednesday, threatened to halt supply of medicines if the NHIA did not honour its financial obligation to its service providers.

According to Anthony Ameka, Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber, some members of the Chamber have not been paid for drugs supplied to NHIS service providers for ten months and beyond, and their clients attribute their inability to pay the Chamber to NHIA’s indebtedness to them.

Mr. Adonoo in responding to the claim empathized with the situation, and assured that the concern is being addressed with the urgency it deserves.

“I know the issue of indebtedness is a priority on our Chief Executive’s agenda and our sector minister has shown the commitment to resolve the matter of NHIS’ financing and sustainability. And indeed, we are all as stakeholders aware of the importance of the subject.

Soon, some payments will commence so our providers will have some space to operate,” he assured.

The Minister for Health, Hon. Kweku Agyeman-Manu, also at the opening of this year’s Ghana Health Service’s (GHS) first senior managers meeting and launch of the District Health Information System dashboard and improved cause of death statistics on Tuesday, said health insurance service providers will soon receive monthly payments for services rendered to NHIS members to ensure the sustainability of the scheme.

According to him, he was working with the Ministry of Finance to settle the accumulated debt and ensure regular payments from henceforth.

The NHIS has a network of about 4,000 service providers comprising all the teaching hospitals, regional and district hospitals, clinics and some pharmacy and diagnostic centres across the country.

Last year, the scheme recorded about 11 million in membership.
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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Payment to healthcare providers will start soon – NHIA appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This past week has seen some contractors working on GETFund projects picket at the Ministry of Finance to demand monies owed them, to the tune of over GHc 300 million spanning a period of six months.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Fl16IHRTgq8ID63rQKQYVE9u8DiUx6CR”]The Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors in the Volta Region also threatened to block access to roads and facilities they have constructed on January 6 if they are not paid monies owed them, with the GETFund singled out as the main defaulter in this regard.

In an interview with Citi News, the Deputy Administrator of GETFund, Stephen Baffoe, said the Fund will start the disbursement of an initial GHc 110 million received from the Ministry of Finance, based on the advice of its Board of Directors.

The Finance Ministry has promised to pay the remainder of the money owed deserving contractors, and Mr. Baffoe is optimistic that the Ministry will honour its promise of paying the remaining money.

“We have been having discussions with the Ministry of Finance. We are sure that if the levels of discussions go on, they may be able to top up what they gave us on Tuesday. But given that the week is drawing up to a close, the board has advised management to begin disbursing the GHc 110 million whilst we wait for the Ministry to top up.”

“So from [Friday], we are going to pay those who, this GHc 110 million, is able to go round to them. We would then expect that the Ministry will top up as has been promised” Mr. Baffoe stated.

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

The post Disgruntled GETFund contractors to be paid from today appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.