“Delay in funds reimbursement affecting NHIS” Private Health Providers in UE cry out

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bolgatanga 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 Association of Private Health Care Providers (APHCP) in the region has stated that if by February 28, 2013 the National Health Insurance Authority is still unable to meet its financial obligation of reimbursing facilities, they may resort to cash and carry to meet the cost of operation. The Regional Secretary of the APHCP, Mr Frank Fuseini who disclosed this at a meeting in Bolgatanga hitherto, the delays in NHIS reimbursement was usually between two to four months on the average. However, the current situation is over six months for most of the facilities in the region especially for those under the Bawku and Bolgatanga Mutual Health Insurance Scheme. “As we speak, these two schemes have been paid up to the middle of August 2012.” Mr Fuseini said with these developments, providers are faced with numerous challenges with regards to health service delivery in the region. This includes non-payment of salaries to workers and lack of essential drugs. “Most facilities have not been able to pay workers for between two to three months which is weakening the morale of workers. Again most essential drugs including ACTs cannot be purchased thereby making health delivery very difficult” he said adding that since private facilities are not allowed to buy drugs from the regional medical stores, they are forced to rely on the major pharmaceutical companies. “Due to the delays in the reimbursement for the NHIS, these business partners can no longer supply our facilities with drugs because of debt accumulation.” He said. He said if the situation persists, health service delivery in the region will be seriously hampered if stringent measures are not taken by all major stakeholders in the health sector in the region to ameliorate the situation. “The association strongly believes that this essential service will ground to a halt if these delays persist for another two weeks, since 45 per cent of clients in the region rely in the private sector for their service. “He added. In a response, Mr. Roger Ayine Aposs, the Upper East Regional Manager of NHIA if the health acknowledged the challenges faced by the private service providers but gave the assurance that monies owed then will be paid by next week. “The situation has arisen because as we all know; government is the sole provider of resources to the NHIA and is faced with competing needs from the other sectors of the economy and because of that it is only when there is enough funding that health insurance is provided with resources needed to pay you. All the same we have initiated certain strategies to pay you and ensure that sure delays do not recur.”He said. -End- benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh