Ho Municipal NHIS Manager threatened over sanctions

Ho, Feb. 1, GNA - Mr Mawuko Tsigbe, Acting Ho Municipal Health Insurance Scheme Manager, seemed to have incurred the wrath of one of the=

Scheme's service providers sanctioned recently by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA). Mr Tsigbe alleged that one Mr Samuel Afetorgbor, Managing Director of Crown Pharmacy in Ho, has threatened to deal with him (Tsigbe) for masterminding the suspension of payment of claims submitted by his pharma= cy.

Crown Pharmacy was listed among a number of Service providers sanctioned= by the NHIA for alleged professional misconduct and malfeasance. Mr Tsigbe, who was interacting with the GNA on the state of the Scheme in the Municipality, said following directives from the NHIS Headquarters no= t to honour claims submitted by the Pharmacy, Mr Afetorgbor occasionally called at the Scheme Office to threaten him. He said he had made a report to the Police in Ho who are investigati= ng the case.

"He continually threatens me. My crime is that I have tried to protect tax payers' money," Mr Tsigbe said.

Mr Tsigbe said due to the sanction, the Scheme had been restricted f= rom making any payment to the Pharmacy until issues bordering on fraud agains= t the Pharmacy were resolved. Mr Afetorgbor however denied that he threatened Mr Tsigbe and that "boldness is not arrogance, I did not go to his office with a gun." On the issue of claims submitted by his Pharmacy, he said he would on= ly comment on that after a scheduled meeting with the Senior Monitoring Offi= cer of the NHIA. A source at the Ho Municipal Police told the GNA that Mr Tsigbe had ma= de a complaint of threat against Mr Afetorgbor.