Ghana: NPP, NDC War Over NHIS Deepens

NHIS, Ghana

Accra, Ghana, April 22, 2019//-In his speech on “Democracy and Development” at the Cambridge Union Society of the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said: “The democracy that we seek to build does not end in casting votes, and electing a President and a Member of Parliament once every four years. We seek to build a prosperous nation with equal opportunities, where all citizens feel they have a stake.”

With the current animosity and open antagonism between the two major parties – the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC); on all issues ranging from A-Z it is impossible for such a society to be realised.

One policy that has profound impact on the lives of the people is the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) but sad to say it has since its inception under the John Agyekum Kufuor Regime enlisted drawn swords from the two parties. Each party claims to have the best policy options.

Recent bantering on each other has been such that the Majority Leader in Parliament Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, has cause to ask parliament to find solutions to the situation within the NHIS.

According to him, “We should be looking at improving the landscape of the NHIS and all these statutory funds. We should all be talking to the issue. I agree that we should bring them back on track. As a Parliament we should come together and deal with this.”

“Going forward we should come together and interrogate these matters closely. The national interest should compel us. We should come together and take a firm decision. The onus rests with the house. Let us discuss and debate. We can then invite the Minister of Health and Secretariat and dialogue with them on that. When we are done with that then we can make a determination on what should be done”

The NDC, at a press conference on Monday, 15 April 2019, accused the Akufo-Addo Government of illegally transferring GHS17,548,377.20 of National Health Insurance Scheme funds into a private fund management company, All Time Capital Investment, which has failed to pay back the money.

The party among others claimed that due to the many challenges plaguing the Scheme it has become unattractive to people “explaining that currently, the scheme has 10.410 million people as against 10.786 million people in 2016.”

In a reaction to the opposition NDC’s accusations, Pius Enam Hadzide, Deputy Minister of Information said, “Government wishes to assure the people of Ghana that the NHIS is definitely not on the verge of collapse as claimed by the NDC”, adding that “the government wishes to state emphatically that this administration inherited a 1.2 billion Cedis debt left behind by the NDC. This debt has since been fully paid by the Nana Addo-led government.”

On the alleged loss of confidence in the scheme he said, “It is also palpable falsehood when the NDC says there is loss of confidence in the scheme.

Contrary to their assertion, the fact is that NHIS membership registration has rather surged from 18.6 million in 2016 to 20.1 million in 2018. Again it is also important to state that the scheme records approximately 75,000 mobile renewals weekly.”

“Furthermore the number of credentialed facilities (healthcare providers who have signed contracts to attend registered NHIS members) has increased from 4,160 at the end of December 2016 to 4,520. For the records, we wish to announce that active membership of the scheme by January 2019 stands at 10,793,456 higher than the 2019 figure quoted by the NDC.

Government wants to once again bring to the attention of the general public that effective April 1st 2019 the service tariff payable to credential institutions has been increased by twenty percentage points. This is to help improve on the quality of service rendered to members”, he disclosed.

With regards to the investments with All Time Capital Limited, the Deputy Minister said,“It will interest you to note that the investments into private financial house, All Time Capital Limited by the NHIA were started by the Mahama-led Administration in 2012.

In fact, the placement of the first 5 million Ghana cedis in a 365-day fixed deposit investment occurred on 26th July 2012. The NDC continued to roll over principal plus interest accrued and even made further investment with same All Time Capital Limited.”

He emphasised that, “For the NDC to turn around and accuse the current administration, that  -the NHIS without due diligence and with indecent haste transferred a whopping 17,548,377.20 in three tranches to a private financial house; All Time Capital limited, supposedly as investment – is incredibly mischievous and unbecoming of a political party seeking the mandate of the people. This further deepens the credibility crises that the NDC suffers.”

He urged the people to support and cooperate with the government to provide quality and affordable healthcare to Ghanaians.

By Oppong Baah, African Eye Report

 

 

 

 

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