The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has called on the Finance Minister, to pay the GH¢600m outstanding National Health Insurance Fund money. His call is to enable the scheme pay its service providers, which are mainly health facilities to equip them to operate in these crucial times.
The member who was contributing to the report of the Committee of the Whole on proposed formula for the disbursement of the 2020 National Health Insurance, said most health facilities are not functioning well because the government owes them. He said some are even not able to operate because they can’t foot their light and water bills due to the monies owed them by the government.
“At this point in time, we must find money. How much was outstanding and they quoted about 600 million cedis. In this time of crisis, we need every health facility to fully operate. You go to some health facilities and they don’t have water or light because they are not able to foot the bills. Mr Speaker I think the Minister must pay those outstanding bills.”
Analyzing the amount of monies that are collected and what must go into the fund, Mr Akandoh observed that in 2017, an amount of GH1.56 billion was collected, but only GH¢616 million was released to the fund – leaving an outstanding amount of GH¢903 million.
“In 2018, the actual amount collected was about GH¢1.579 billion, but only GH¢ 506 million was released into the fund -leaving more than GH¢1 billion as outstanding.In 2019, the actual collection was GH¢1.26 billion, only 721 million was released to the fund leaving an outstanding amount of 541 million”, he said.
The member indicated that the fund is a reliable one, which when maintained well, will take care of all those debts.
Mr Akandoh again said there was the need to invest more in the health sector at this crucial time and beckoned the Minister responsible for finance to do the needful.
The member indicated that per the Abuja declaration, Ghana is supposed to spend not less than 15 percent of its national budget on the health sector, hence money should be released for the efficient running of the NHIS.
The member also raised an issue concerning the rendering of accounts when monies are being withdrawn from the fund. He said the drafters of the Act indicated that the Finance Minister should be in parliament every 6 months to account for the money it withdraws from the fund and that has been breached over and over again and called on parliament to ensure that the act is put into practice.
By Agnes Ansah / www.thechronicle.com.gh
The post Minority MPs demand immediate payment of GH¢600m into NHIS fund appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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