Hot!
Health facilities in UWR charging illegal fees – NHIA
• Mr Samuel Lobber granting interview
Though clients have registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to derive its benefits, it is shocking to note that over 90 per cent of health facilities in the Upper West Region are involved in co-payment and charging of illegal fees from members.
The Regional Director of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Mr Samuel Lobber who revealed this said the worrying situation has caused clients to lose confidence in the scheme and had affected patronage of the scheme across the country.
“This problem is not peculiar to the Upper West Region; it is a national issue which is being tackled head-on by the Authority to ensure that we sanitize the system to improve clients’ confidence and patronage of the scheme”, he said.
Mr Lobber said this on the sidelines of an annual review meeting by the Authority in the region on the theme; “Sustaining our gains on Universal Health Care- a collective responsibility”.
The Director disclosed that the credentials of about five facilities apprehended by the authority in the region last year were withheld for a period and those said facilities were surcharged to pay some monies to the authority to serve as deterrent to others and restore sanity in the system.
He said the reinstatement of the facilities in December last year after they had agreed to suspend their illegal practices was enable them to serve their clients.
He mentioned that to resolve the issue which had become a source of worry for the authority, co-payment committees have been constituted at the national, regional and district levels to ensure that such incidents were promptly identified, investigated and dealt with.
This committee is being supported by a monitoring and evaluation team in the field where clients who go on community outreach and are presented with complains of charging of illegal charges are able to investigate and report to the office to the head office for clinical audit report”, he added.
Explaining the issue, the Director said illegal fees and co-payment referred to charges that were levied clients owned NHIS cards at health facilities, even though the scheme covered those fees.
He said after charging the clients and refusing them receipts, the facilities sent claims to the NHIA for payment again; leading to double payment for one service rendered.
He used the opportunity to commend residents for embracing the scheme and massively patronizing their services and said, their acceptance had led to the region’s attainment of the universal health coverage (UHC).
He advised clients to be more vigilant and ensure that they were not paying for services that were covered by the Scheme.
Members were taught how to check for drugs and services covered by the scheme.
He called on healthcare providers to stop charging illegal fees and make the health and wellbeing of their clients a topmost priority in order to save lives.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammy Awuku, has expressed deep sorrow following the sudden passing of Isaac Batsa, the constituency secretary for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker issued a statement on Tuesday reacting to the news, which has shocked the local political community.
Mr.Awuku praised the late NDC secretary for his bipartisan approach to local governance.
He noted that despite their different political affiliations, Batsa consistently rose above party lines to serve the constituency with diligence.
The MP revealed that the news was particularly shocking given that he had last interacted with Batsa just three days prior on Saturday.
Concluding his statement, Sammy Awuku extended his heartfelt condolences to Batsa’s family, the constituency and regional executives, and the entire NDC fraternity, wishing the deceased peaceful eternal rest.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
