The Ministry of Health has announced a scheme under which the initial cost of treating an accident victim will be borne by the government. When the scheme becomes fully operational, the state will directly reimburse any health institution, which treats an accident victim. According to a statement from the Health Ministry this forms part of government?s plan to abolish the cash-and-carry system and replace it with health insurance scheme.
The statement said the Ministries of Health and Finance, the Insurance Commission and the Ghana Insurers Association have already agreed on the plan to provide cover for emergency treatment for victims of road traffic accidents during what is referred to as the ?acute phase?. The statement said detailed modalities for the implementation of the plan would be announced within a month.
Meanwhile Health Minister, Dr. Kweku Afriyie, has criticized junior doctors at Korle-Bu Teaching hospital who have been on strike since last week Friday over the delay in the payment of their extra duty allowances. The Minister described the strike as frivolous, saying in an interview with JOY NEWS that ?these strikes tarnish the image of our profession and those junior doctors should take it cool?.
The Minister said long before the strike, the Ministry had envisaged that there could be delays in the payment of the ADH allowances and doctors throughout the country were duly informed. According to the Minister, the doctors had already made up their minds to down their tools if the allowances were not paid by the 5th of September.
The frequent strikes by health personnel continue to be a major setback in efforts to promote an efficient health delivery system. Already, there are arguments over whether personnel who put in claims for extra duty hour allowances actually do work for the monies they collect.
The health ministry has proposed a new scheme to replace the payment of extra duty hour allowances. The new scheme seeks to reward health personnel who choose to work in rural communities or in specialist health institutions. But whatever plans the ministry may have up its sleeves it looks like the threat of a strike action will forever be the bane of the Ghanaian health service.
