The National Catholic Health Services (NCHS) and some stakeholders had discussed the possibility of setting up an alternative Mutual Health Insurance to help people access quality healthcare in the country.
This move comes in the wake of challenges in sustaining the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) as a result of the National Health Insurance Authority’s delay in repaying health facilities for services rendered to clients of the scheme for the past eight months, which is threating the survival of many of these facilities.
The mutual scheme idea was hinted at a recent meeting between Most Rev. Joseph Afrifah-Agyekum, Bishop of Koforidua and Bishop in-charge for Health with Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) Representatives on the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) Board in Accra.
Dr. Agatha Bonney, member of the Board, argued for the establishment of the alternative Health Scheme, and expressed disappointment in government for taking the mission health facilities for granted, because of their Christian obligation to cater for the sick and bring Christ’s healing to them no matter the circumstance.
With NHIA’s delay in settling their indebtedness to the facilities, she stated that CHAG cannot watch their facilities collapsed and emphatically stressed that “we (Ghanaians) cannot toil with the health of the people. We cannot wait and see things fall apart. We as Christians must work and find alternative ways to sustain the health of our people”.
Dr. Kwabena Adu Poku, Board Chairman of CHAG, observed that apart from the delays in paying health facilities for servicing rendered to subscribers of the NHIS worsening; the NHIA was yet to honour issues agreed upon with the Minister of Health which necessitated the withdrawal of services to clients of NHIS last year. He said CHAG was studying alternate financing mechanism to the NHIS.
Even with this considerations, Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum, indicated the readiness of CHAG to continue engaging the NHIA to redeem their indebtedness to help ensure the smooth running of the health facilities. He commended the Board members for their efforts at promoting the quality health delivery and thanked them for availing their professional expertise at no cost for the growth of CHAG.
Dr. Adu Poku and other members of the Board acknowledged the effective management some health facilities even with scares resources but called on other CHAG member institutions to plug loopholes that leaked the finances of their facilities and ensure they run well.
They mentioned the appointment of Mr. Peter Kwame Yeboah, the former Director for Health at the Goaso Diocese, as the new Executive Secretary of CHAG in March. He replaces Dr. Gilbert Buckle, now Chief Executive Officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
Among other issues discussed were the works on the Charter of CHAG, guidelines to ensure that all institutions associated with the Trust were owned by established Churches as well as discussion to find sustainable ways of running CHAG.
The Board also informed the Bishop about efforts made to acquire and develop a 50 acre land at Dodowa for CHAG.
It will be recalled that an orientation programme for the Bishops’ Conference representatives on the CHAG Board, in March 2014 charged members to promote the values and interest of the Church on the Board among other things.