Catholic Health Services threatens legal action against NHIA
The National Catholic Health Services is considering taking legal action against the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) for non-payment of arrears due health institutions under its domain.
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The Bishop of Koforidua Diocese and the Chairman for health at the National Catholic Secretariat, Most Reverend Joseph Afrifa-Agyekum said it was high time such a decision was taken to retrieve all outstanding arrears to prevent the collapse of their institutions.
Addressing participants in the 13th National Catholic Health Service annual conference in Ho last Tuesday, Most Rev. Afrifa-Agyekum said “we would not stop agitating for our institutions to be paid for the services rendered to patients who have paid their premiums and taxes expected to fund their care”.
He called on the government and the NHIA to play their parts because what was due the institutions was a matter of right.
New law for health facilities
Most Rev. Afrifa-Agyekum also raised concerns about a recent change in the law which requested that all health facilities should register as corporate entities in order to receive licences to provide care.
He, therefore, called on the ministry of health to review that decision and give ample time for consultation.
The five-day conference which is on the theme ‘Patient Safety and Modern Health Technology’ brought together key stakeholders including health training colleges, hospitals, clinics, Diocesan health pharmacies and the specialised institutions.
The purpose of the gathering was to afford stakeholders the opportunity to peer review, learn best practices from one another and move together as a service with a common destiny and unity of purpose.
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Most Rev. Afrifa-Agyekum observed that technology had helped to advance the cause of patient safety and care despite the challenges associated with them.
According to him, health technologies would continue to go through transformation and hence the need for health workers to be opened to accept them for the benefits of patients.
Catholic church commended
In a speech read on her behalf, the Volta Regional minister, Madam Helen Adjoa Ntoso, commended the Catholic Church for its immense support of providing health care for people, especially those in the rural areas.
The Volta regional director of Ghana Education Health services, Mr Joseph Nuertey said the region was a major beneficiary of the Catholic Church adding that some of the best health facilities were under the auspices of the church.
Through a project dubbed ‘Fives Alive’, he said the region had benefited tremendously from quality improved initiatives which had contributed to improved health outcomes for children under five years in the region.
Embrace capitation
The Executive director of Christian Health Association of Ghana, (CHAG) Mr Peter Yeboah, urged members to embrace capitation, a new payment system of NHIA.
Meanwhile in a related development, the NHIA said it had issued instant biometric cards to 495,209 subscribers to the scheme in the Volta Region when the issuing of the cards took off in the region in June this year.
Alongside, 324,547 subscribers also renewed their membership with the old mode of application for membership.
The region has also recorded 2,072,705 out of 3,071,332 targeted on premium mobilisation by the end of September with South Tongu, Ho, Hohoe and Keta districts being outstanding in the sterling performance in mobilisation.
The Volta Regional Director of NHIA, Mr Elliot Nestor Akototse, in a quarterly press briefing in Ho, disclosed that a new medicine list would soon be released after consultations had been completed between the NHIA and stakeholders.
He said the roll out of capitation for the Preferred Primary Health Care Provider (PPP) was progressing steadily in the region adding that a total of 221,653 subscribers have successfully selected their PPP by the end of September.