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DCE deplores outrageous medical bills
by some health providers
Duayaw Nkwanta (B/A) Sept. 26 Ghanadot/GNA- Tano North
District Assembly in Brong Ahafo has deplored the charging
of outrageous medical fees by some health providers on
clients of the District Health Insurance Scheme.
The situation was not acceptable because it defeated
government's objective of introducing the scheme to help
make health delivery accessible to the people.
Mr. Nicholas Lenin Anane-Adjei, the District Chief
Executive, said these in a speech read for him at the
scheme's general assembly meeting at Duayaw Nkwanta.
He said the scheme had come to stay and that no succeeding
government could withdraw it and called on all major
stakeholders to ensure that it was successfully implemented.
Mr. Anane-Adjei asked the management of the scheme to ensure
that clients paid realistic premiums for the generation of
more funds for investment in economic ventures.
He expressed worry that some clients were rampantly visiting
health facilities designated health facilities "just because
they are registered members," and said the practice could
run the scheme down financially as a result of the high
bills would have to settle.
Mr. Anane-Adjei urged land lords and land ladies to appeal
to their tenants to register with the scheme to enable them
to get access to health care delivery.
Mr. Anthony Amankona-Diawuoh,
district scheme manager, said a new registration and premium
rates were agreed upon at the last general meeting,
following a proposal for an upward adjustment, to enable the
scheme to pay for mounting medical bills.
He said a meeting by officials of the Health Schemes in
Brong Ahafo, met at Sunyani to determine a premium ranging
between GHC10 and GHC15.
Mr. Amankona-Diawuoh said the Board of the scheme had
adopted a new constitution that was drafted along the
National Health Insurance Act (650) to regulate operations
of the scheme.
He said the district scheme paid about 60,000 Ghana cedis as
bills a month and called on members to avoid practices that
could jeopardize the success of the plan.
Nana Krobea Asante Owusu, board chairman, in the 2006 annual
report said the scheme registered 25,552, members,
representing 41.27 per cent of the district population of
62,000.
He said the 2006 figure represented 24 per cent increase in
membership over the 2005 initial figure of 19,517.
Nana Owusu said out of the total bill of 4,957,707,422 cedis
received at the close of the year, the scheme was able to
pay a total of 3,739,229,876 cedis to its service providers.
He said this resulted in an outstanding balance of
1,218,477,546 cedis owed to the service providers, he said.
Nana Owusu explained that the mounting unpaid bills to
service providers was due to high attendance at facilities
by clients and low levels of premium among other challenges
facing the district scheme.
GNA
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