Stop illegal co-payments - Okoe-Boye to health facilities

 

The chief executive officer of the National Health Insurance Authority and minister designate for health Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye has warned health facilities that are engaged in counterpart payments to put a stop to it.

Dr. Okoe-Boye made the call when he commissioned the regional offices of the national health insurance authority of the Savannah Region in Damongo on Thursday February 15, 2024.

Many clients of the national health insurance scheme complain of financial charges they are given when they visit health facilities to assess health care. 

The facilities justify the practice commonly referred to as co-payment, sighting delays in reimbursements and inadequate payments for drugs by the NHIA. 

But Dr. Benard Oko-Boe said the practice is no longer justified. 

According to him, government, has improved the release of funds to the authority and health facilities, hence, there is no justification for the practice to continue. 

"The government has supported the NHIS with very good releases of our funds and so today as I speak, things are going very well. We pay an average of 170 million Ghana cedis every 30 days for the past 24 months to about 4,000 health facilities."

"As we work hard to address the problems on our side, we expect health facilities also to improve on their behaviour, this attitude of taking money for everything in the hospital when people have the NHIS must stop."

He warned that the authority will no longer tolerate the practice and encouraged clients to report any such charges to the scheme for action.

Dr. Okoe-Boye also assured the Savannah Region of improved health care when he takes over as minister of health.