Tamale Teaching Hospital threatens to review arrangement with NHIA

Tamale, Feb. 22, GNA - Excessive claims by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is adversely affecting the finances of the Tamal= e Teaching Hospital (TTH).

Dr. Ken Sagoe, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the TTH, who revealed this, said the hospitals finances had come under considerable pressure from demands for the rehabilitation of infrastructure, replacement of equipment and huge rent advances, to attract and retain highly trained professionals in the hospital.

"As if these pressures were not enough, the NHIA has also made us wo= rse off by excessive deductions, which in some cases are unilateral and at best arbitrary. He said 84 percent of the out-patients are insured with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and that 93if we are not able to resolve th= is state of affairs, we will review our arrangements with the NHIS", Dr. Sag= oe warned.

Dr. Sagoe said this at the Annual Performance Review Conference of the TTH.

He however noted that the pharmacy directorate of the hospital performed dramatically in the period under review, noting that, among others, the staffing level within the directorate increased, the pharmacy stores were also well stocked throughout the year as well as the availability of tracer drugs.

He said during last year, the hospital established a special pharmacy outlet, where essential drugs, which were not covered by the NHIS, could be bought within the hospital, saving patients and relatives from searching fo= r essential drugs outside. He said the pharmacy directorate had also now been completely computerized, and that, the TTHs laboratory had the potential of being one of the best in the country.

He said last year, the laboratory acquired equipment, valued at more than one hundred thousand Ghana cedis to augment the existing ones. Mr. Moses Bukari Mabengba, Northern regional Minister, commended the staff of the hospital for their dedicated services and promised the cooperation and assistance of the Regional Coordinating Council.