[ 2015-02-19 ]

Cash And Carry Returns To Volta
Health facilities in the Volta Region are
preparing to revert to the ‘cash and carry’
system, should managers of the National Health
Insurance Authority (NHIA) continue to delay
payment for the services to NHIS subscribers.

Dr Joseph Teye-Nuertey, Volta regional director of
health services, had disclosed that the NHIA
currently owes service providers in the region
over six months arrears, hence crippling the
facilities; most of whom are on the verge of
collapse.

He gave the caution during the 2014 annual
performance review conference of the Volta
Regional Health Directorate in Ho.

Dr Teye-Nuertey lamented that health facilities
had kept to their side of the collective agreement
by providing healthcare services to National
Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) clients, however,
the NHIA continues to renege on its obligation to
the facilities.

He lamented that “in business terms, you do not
expect to owe an entity for over six months and
the entity continues to provide credit facilities
to your clients… We just want to sound a note of
caution to the managers of NHIA that we have kept
our part of the agreement for far too long while
they have blatantly violated their part of the
agreement not to owe us for over three months.”

According to Dr Teye-Nuertey, the situation is
suffocating health facilities as they struggle to
pay their suppliers, saying, “All the oxygen
cylinders in the hospitals are drying empty, and
it will not be long when the resilience and the
little life left in our facilities get
exhausted.”

The review meeting was on the theme: “Achieving
Excellence and Improved Service Delivery Outcomes
through Effective Linkage between Public Health
and Clinical Services.”

He complained that the delay in the payment of
claims by NHIA has affected their finances, hence
making it difficult for them to fulfill other
obligations, particularly to utility providers
like water and electricity.

Source - Daily Guide

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