‘Cash and Carry’ to resurface in Ashanti

“Cash and Carry” in Government hospitals in the Ashanti Region is likely to re-emerge if the Government fails to attend to the woes of these Hospitals in the Region.

The mountainous National Health Insurance (NHIS) debt, which is wrecking healthcare in the country, will soon pave way for cash-and-carry in Ashanti Region, after the Volta Region.

The Chairman of Ashanti Medical Superintendents Group, Dr. Nana Yaw Manu, in a statement to the Chief Executive Officer of National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), the Ashanti Regional Minister and the Manhyia Palace, indicated that effective March 15, 2015, Government Hospitals in Ashanti Region will not be able to offer services to NHIS card bearers if they are not reimbursed money owed them by the NHIA.

According to the aggrieved Medical Superintendents, after extensive discussion of issues at the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) owes them over GHc15, 806,846 in unpaid claims to their facilities.

Dr. Manu added that they are heavily indebted to their suppliers to the extent that the suppliers have refused to supply them with both drugs and other non-drugs consumables.

The NHIA debt has forced them to compromise quality health care to their patients, Dr. Manu indicated.

He continued that some Government hospitals have been sent to court owing to non-payment of bills to suppliers, citing Bekwai Government Hospital as an example.

He emphasized that the Claims Processing Centre (CPC) concept is causing too much delay in the processing and submission of claims stressing that it has affected them so much that Hospitals cannot operate their respective budgets.

On the effect of the erratic power supply on their facilities, Dr. Yaw Manu disclosed that there is a high expenditure on fuel to power their generators because of erratic power supply and maintenance of hospitals equipment.

The Ashanti Medical Superintendents Group has, therefore, given the Government the ultimatum to save the situation before danger strikes at the Government Health facilities. The Medical Superintendents also suggested to the NHIA to either improve on the operations of the CPC or scrap it all together.