The National
Catholic Health Services (NCHS) and some stakeholders are discussing the
possibility of setting up an alternative Mutual Health Insurance to help people
access quality healthcare in the country.
This move comes in
the wake of challenges in sustaining the National Health Insurance Scheme
(NHIS) as a result of the National Health Insurance Authority’s delay in repaying
health facilities for services rendered to clients of the scheme for the past
eight months, which is threating the survival of many of these facilities.
The mutual scheme
idea was hinted at a recent meeting between Most Rev. Joseph Afrifah-Agyekum,
Bishop of Koforidua and Bishop in-charge for Health with Ghana Catholic
Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) Representative on the Christian Health Association
of Ghana (CHAG) Board in Accra.
Dr. Agatha Bonney, member of the Board, argued
for the establishment of the alternative Health Scheme, and expressed
disappointment in government for taking the mission health facilities for
granted, because of their Christian obligation to cater for the sick and bring
Christ’s healing to them no matter the circumstance.
With NHIA’s delay in
settling their indebtedness to the facilities, she stated that CHAG cannot
watch their facilities collapsed and emphatically stressed that “we (Ghanaians)
cannot toil with the health of the people. We cannot wait and see things fall
apart. We as Christians must work and find alternative ways to sustain the
health of our people”.
Dr. Kwabena Adu
Poku, Board Chairman of CHAG, observed that apart from the delays in paying
health facilities for servicing rendered to subscribers of the NHIS worsening;
the NHIA was yet to honour issues agreed upon with the Minister of Health which
necessitated the withdrawal of services to clients of NHIS last year.
He said CHAG was
studying alternate financing mechanism to the NHIS.
Even with this
considerations, Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum, indicated the readiness of CHAG to continue
engaging the NHIA to redeem their indebtedness to help ensure the smooth
running of the health facilities.
He commended the
Board members for their efforts at promoting the quality health delivery and thanked
them for availing their professional expertise at no cost for the growth of
CHAG.
Dr. Adu Poku and
other members of the Board acknowledged the effective management some health
facilities even with scares resources but called on other CHAG member
institutions to plug loopholes that leaked the finances of their facilities and
ensure they run well.
They mentioned the
appointment of Mr. Peter Kwame Yeboah, the former Director for Health at the
Goaso Diocese, as the new Executive Secretary of CHAG in March. He replaces Dr.
Gilbert Buckle, now Chief Executive Officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
Among other issues
discussed were the works on the Charter of CHAG, guidelines to ensure that all
institutions associated with the Trust were owned by established Churches as
well as discussion to find sustainable ways of running CHAG.
The Board also
informed the Bishop about efforts made to acquire and develop a 50 acre land at
Dodowa for CHAG.
It will be recalled
that an orientation programme for the Bishops’ Conference representatives on the CHAG Board,
in March 2014 charged members to promote the values and interest of the Church
on the Board among other things.
*Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum with members of the Board at the meeting
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