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Unapproved fees affecting NHIS patronage in UER
The demand for unapproved fees from patients by some health facilities in the Upper West Region is said to be affecting patronage of the National Health Insurance Scheme in the area.
Mr. Samuel Lekamwe Lobber, Regional Director of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) brought this to the fore at an End-of-Year Performance Review Meeting held in the region recently.
He said that such illegal fees made clients to lose confidence in the Scheme and asked those health institutions involved to stop.
“Illegal charges remain the biggest headache to the NHIA in the region and it is affecting our efforts to mobilise more clients because if someone goes for healthcare and is asked to make payment for a condition that is already covered, that experience will not encourage them to renew their commitment with the scheme.
“Some of these health facilities charge unapproved fees for which they do not even issue receipts and still make claims to the authority for reimbursement”, he explained.
He indicated that the thought of having to pay for petty things such as folders and laboratory tests at health facilities discouraged some people from registering under the scheme as they did not value the services of the insurance scheme.
Mr Lobber said the fact that such people even went back to discuss their experiences at the health centres with others could further discourage several others from joining the scheme.
He appealed to health facilities across the region to be guided by the ethics of their profession which was to deliver quality healthcare.
He explained that to partly tackle this issue, a new feature would be added to the mobile renewal platform which allow the authority to confirm from patients if they had visited a particular health facility for health care services or not.
This feature, he said, would help check false claims tendered in by some health facilities and also reduce the rate of charging illegal fees.
The Director appealed to their clients to make use of the mobile renewal platform to check for drugs and services they were entitled at the health centre in order to avoid falling victim to the illegal charges.
He used the opportunity to commend staff of the authority for working harder to ensure that they attained 80 percent coverage of clients and said the move was to enhance access to universal health coverage by residents of the region.
The meeting which was on the theme “Sustaining our gains for universal health coverage- a collective responsibility” brought together former and current stakeholders of the authority to consolidate gains, share ideas and experiences and also chart the way forward.
From Lydia Darlington Fordour, Wa
Madam Sandra Seyram Kpedor, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Anloga in the Volta Region, has emphasised the importance of parental involvement in children’s education, stating that education is free, but parents need to do more to support their children.
She said parents, teachers, and students must be involved in addressing the challenges facing the district’s education sector, particularly the poor Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results.
Madam Kpedor outlined some key roles parents should play to promote their children’s education, including providing a conducive learning environment, monitoring their children’s progress, and supporting teachers.
The DCE highlighted some challenges the district faced such as inadequate infrastructure and a shortage of teachers, which have also contributed to the poor BECE results and called on well-to-do parent to help solve the situation through and other supports.
To address the issues, she also announced that plans have been taken to utilise the district’s common fund to implement educational projects, such as constructing school blocks and teachers’ bungalows at Sodzi community, and 2-unit classroom blocks each at Akplorwutorkor and Tegbi-Afedome respectively, among others.
Madam Kpedor also noted that her office had earlier notified the Ministry of Education to deploy more teachers to the area to improve teaching and learning, and encouraged students to work hard and strive for excellence, and work beyond their limit to succeed.
“To my wonderful and beautiful girls, you have to know it clear that women and girls have equal opportunities to compete with men for greater achievements,” she indicated.
The DCE cited her own achievement as a testament to the fact that women can excel in leadership positions, alongside Vice President Nana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, and stressed that girls were no longer limited to domestic roles but can pursue their dreams and become leaders.
Additionally, she mentioned that a meeting was held earlier with assembly members, and other stakeholders to address the district’s educational challenges and improve academic performance.
She promised that the district’s education oversight committee and stakeholders would work together to address the challenges and improve the district’s BECE results and called for parental involvement and support to boost the district’s education sector for children to chase their dreams to become future leaders for the success of the district and the nation.
She urged parents not to leave everything to the government but rather help in the provision of some necessary materials such as textbooks, exercise books, pens, pencils, food, and guidance to children for the successes of young learners. –GNA
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The spokesperson for Dr. Bawumia, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has criticised the implementation of the NDC government’s No Fee Stress policy, arguing that the programme has failed to deliver on its core promise.
According to him on Starr fm, the policy, which was introduced to ensure stress free payment of fees for level 100 tertiary students, has rather turned into what he described as post stress support.
He explained that students are required to pay their fees first before applying for reimbursement, a situation he believes defeats the purpose of the policy.
He questioned claims by government officials that the policy has been successful and that citizens are happy.
In his view, such claims do not reflect the lived realities of many Ghanaians. He stressed that while some people may appear satisfied, many others continue to struggle.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye pointed to the situation of trained teachers and nurses who have been picketing for nearly six months, demanding employment.
He noted that government responses suggesting it cannot accommodate all of them contradict claims of economic stability.
He further argued that economic indicators such as a stable currency mean little to people who are unable to secure jobs or access promised support.
He observed that telling an unemployed teacher or a struggling student that the cedi has strengthened does not address their immediate challenges.
On the issue of tertiary education, he maintained that no level 100 student benefited from stress free fees in 2025, despite the policy being announced.
He added that in 2026, students have already reported to school without receiving the promised support.
He insisted that asking students to pay fees first and seek reimbursement later amounts to support after hardship, not stress free education.
According to him, this approach goes against what was promised during the policy announcement.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye questioned why a government that presents the economy as strong is unable to fulfil what he described as simple and clear promises.
He added that there is a fundamental problem with the way the economy is being managed and indicated that he is prepared to explain his position further.
By: Jacob Aggrey
