Delay In Funds Reimbursement Affecting NHIS(4th December 2011 by Benjamin Xornam Glover)

Persistent delays in the reimbursement of funds by the National Health Insurance Authorities have been identified as one of the major challenges facing health services delivery in the Upper East Region.

The Upper East Regional Director, Dr John Koku Awoonor-Williams, disclosed this in Bolgatanga during the inauguration of a 10-member board of directors of the Presbyterian Health Services.

The board, which is under the chairmanship of Rev. Esmund W. Nagba, will handle all health activities of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana in its health institutions in the in the Northern and Upper presbyteries of the church.

Speaking at the function, the regional director of health services bemoaned the delayed reimbursement of funds by the National Health Insurance Authority, emphasising that due to delays, the regional medical store was almost depleted by 50 per cent.

This was because the regional medical stores owed suppliers over GH¢3 million. “If you run a private business and you owe GH¢3 million, you are in for bankruptcy. That is why we are very worried that are we going to meet our drug availability which we have always had at 95 per cent. If we do not take proactive steps, we will be heading for trouble,” he said.

“As I speak to you now, the last payment by the National Health Insurance Authority to facilities was as far back as June. These are the kind of challenges facing health service delivery in the region,” he added.

Dr Awoonor-Williams commended the Presbyterian health service for administering health services in the Upper East Region.

He congratulated the management on the col1aboration between the mission establishment and the Ghana Health Service.

Dr Awoonor-Williams gave an assurance that the Ghana Health Service was not in competition with other health services, particularly the mission institutions, but rather saw them as partners complementing each other in rendering services to the people.

Inaugurating the board on behalf of the clerk of the General Assembly Council of the church, Rev. Martin Nabor said the church was a key player in the health sector of the country, adding that the church’s health institutions have been providing curative, preventive and promotive services for clients within its operational areas, which are mainly rural.

He added that the Presbyterian Church was currently the third largest single provider of health services in the country, after the Catholic Church and the Ghana Health Services.

Dr Awoonor-Williams, therefore, tasked the new board members to commit themselves to set objectives which would be translated into effective operation and improve service delivery.

Rev. Nabor also urged the new board to effectively plan the creation of new health institutions in their respective areas of operations and determine and plan for the acquisition and accountability of resources.

He also admonished the new board to appoint, promote and ensure discipline of staff to enhance client satisfaction.

Rev. Nabor acknowledged the difficult tasked that lay ahead of the board, especially at a time when the health institutions were facing many challenges such as inadequate number of professional staff, lack of logistics such as vehicles and basic equipment for service delivery.

“The biggest challenge the church is grappling with is the increasing demand for health services by rural communities in the face of dwindling partner support. Time and again, our partners have drawn our attention to their inability to access more funds for our health and HIV/AIDS programmes. The alarm bells are sounding louder of late and it is about time the church identified new sources in this endeavour,” Rev. Nabor said.

The Board Chairman, Rev. Esmund W. Nagba, on behalf of his colleague board members, commended the Moderator and the General Assembly Council for nominating them to serve on the board and pledged to work hard and faithfully to uphold the very core values on which the church was established.

He said the church had always upheld discipline and the board would promote discipline and professionalism among staff in all Presbyterian health facilities to promote effective health delivery.