By Kofi AHOVI
The government will from next week begin clearing the nationwide unpaid claims of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) totaling GH¢50 million.
This would cover all outstanding arrears to service providers up to February, this year.
The announcement comes as a big relief to service providers, who have been complaining of delays in claims’ refund.
The delays, they say, were affecting their operations, especially, drugs re-stock, and procurement of other supplies and equipment, a situation which has resulted in growing anxiety among subscribers about the possible collapse of the scheme.
According to a source at the NHIA, the authority is determined to maintain a clean sheet.
“By June, this year, the Authority would no longer allow itself to be accused of delaying payment and would keep to payment in arrears of not more than three months as provided for in the law,” the source stated.
The source stated that the target is to approach a maximum of two months’ arrears by the close of the year.
However, recent clinical audits of the district mutual schemes across the country have revealed massive abuses and fraudulent activities by some scheme officials and service providers.
Three scheme managers and some officers are in prison custody, while 33 others are on interdiction.
Sylvester Mensah, CEO of NHIS, has vowed that the NHIA would tackle corrupt practices and inject sanity into the system, adding that the authority would also cooperate with all stakeholders to find appropriate mechanisms to sustain the operations of the scheme
Central to these efforts, a new legislation has been drawn up which will make the 145 various district mutual schemes part of the national scheme, supervised directly by the NHIA.
The government will from next week begin clearing the nationwide unpaid claims of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) totaling GH¢50 million.
This would cover all outstanding arrears to service providers up to February, this year.
The announcement comes as a big relief to service providers, who have been complaining of delays in claims’ refund.
The delays, they say, were affecting their operations, especially, drugs re-stock, and procurement of other supplies and equipment, a situation which has resulted in growing anxiety among subscribers about the possible collapse of the scheme.
According to a source at the NHIA, the authority is determined to maintain a clean sheet.
“By June, this year, the Authority would no longer allow itself to be accused of delaying payment and would keep to payment in arrears of not more than three months as provided for in the law,” the source stated.
The source stated that the target is to approach a maximum of two months’ arrears by the close of the year.
However, recent clinical audits of the district mutual schemes across the country have revealed massive abuses and fraudulent activities by some scheme officials and service providers.
Three scheme managers and some officers are in prison custody, while 33 others are on interdiction.
Sylvester Mensah, CEO of NHIS, has vowed that the NHIA would tackle corrupt practices and inject sanity into the system, adding that the authority would also cooperate with all stakeholders to find appropriate mechanisms to sustain the operations of the scheme
Central to these efforts, a new legislation has been drawn up which will make the 145 various district mutual schemes part of the national scheme, supervised directly by the NHIA.
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