MoH averts strike by mission hospitals

The Minister of Health, Ms Sherry Ayittey, has intervened to resolve what would have been a major health crisis on Monday, March 11, 2013.

Members of the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) had earlier announced plans to suspend medical services to National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card holders from Monday.

According to the CHAG, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) owed the 183 health facilities operating under the CHAG GH¢50 million in claims from August 2012 to date.

The CHAG is the administrative body of 19 churches operating health facilities in the country and provides about 42 per cent of the healthcare needs of the people, especially those in deprived communities.

But Ms Ayittey told the Daily Graphic that she had been able to resolve the issue at a meeting with the key players.

She said the meeting had been attended by officials of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and the NHIA and representatives of the CHAG, led by its Executive Secretary, Dr Gilbert Buckle.
“I want to assure you that everything is under control. There is no cause for alarm,” she stated.

Ms Ayittey said by Monday some money would be released to the CHAG to offset its operational costs.

Dr Buckle confirmed to the Daily Graphic that the meeting had been very fruitful and indicated that the CHAG was awaiting formal acknowledgement of its letter and the appropriate response from the NHIA.

He explained that there had been a lot of dialoguing in the past but the CHAG decided to put its concerns into writing for the authorities to appreciate the enormity of the problems facing health facilities under it.

“There is no animosity between us and the NHIA. We have been dialoguing on these issues. The only difference is that we decided to document the issues in a formal way,” he said.

Dr Buckle said the situation on the ground was the imminent collapse of the health facilities because there were no medical supplies and other essential services as a result of the non-payment of claims.

In a March 1, 2013 memo to the NHIA, the CHAG had stated that it would suspend services to card holders of the NHIS due to the non-settlement of bills by the NHIA.

It accused the NHIA of failing to pay legitimate claims submitted by its member health facilities.
It said the CHAG hospital managers were struggling to pay the salaries of their workers, as well as for medical supplies.

The goal of the CHAG is to improve the health status of people living in Ghana, especially the marginalised and the poorest of the poor, in fulfilment of Christ’s healing ministry.

Its facilities are predominantly located in the rural or under-served areas and it is the second largest provider of health services in the country.

A number of health facilities, both private and public, in the country have in recent times complained about the non-settlement of insurance claims by the NHIA.

The situation, according to them, made it difficult to meet operational costs and pay contractors for medical consumables and non-consumables.

Daily Graphic