Pong Tamale hospital threatens to withdraw NHIS services

The Pong Tamale hospital may this week cease to offer NHIS services to patients due to over 14 months debt owed by the NHIS and the lack of other facilities.

The Pong Tamale Health Centre is the only reliable facility for the township and its surrounding in the Savelugu-Nanton Municipality.

The facility serves over 18 communities and has an annual out-patient department (OPD) attendance of 1,600.

The lack of funds has affected the facility severely to the extent that they cannot purchase gloves and other materials to provide quality healthcare to patients.

Nyankonton Mu Nsem visit to the facility, discovered that the health facility does not get regular water supply, yet health workers continue to work under such unfortunate conditions.

The buildings have cracks all over, the floors, doors and ceilings are falling off, whilst bats have invaded the entire ceilings, posing health dangers to patients and health workers.

The facility is not spacious enough, forcing some pregnant women who come there to sit on the floor or stand anytime they are seeking for their health needs.

Speaking to Rainbow Radio's Prince Kwame Tamakloe, Madam Haruna Ayishatu, a midwife at the centre, that since January 2016 till date, no payment has been made to the facility by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

She disclosed that the situation was affecting the facility, calling on the government to intervene so that they can get some parts of their arrears to pay off their debt to keep the facility running.

The midwife also mentioned that, the lack of laboratory at Pong Tamale is a challenge to the facility because sometimes they need to see immediate results of the patient but it delays because of lack of laboratory at the facility and had revealed that they would be glad if a laboratory is provided in Pong Tamale.