The Private Health Facilities Association of Ghana has expressed disappointment in the decision by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to donate GH₵250,000 to the COVID-19 Fund when the Authority has not paid service providers for over fourteen (14) months.
According to President of the Association, Samuel Boakye Donkor the move by the Authority is ‘really something bad and painful.’
The NHIA made a donation of GH₵250,000 to the COVID-19 Fund as part of its cooperate social responsibility to help Government mobilize funds to deal with the COVID-19.
But speaking to Citi Fm today, April 23, 2020, Mr Donkor bemoaned the high indebtedness of the Authority and questioned their rationale for making such a huge donation to Government when it [NHIA] cannot redeem its debts.
“It is really something bad and painful. You owe us from last year July to date. Others have not been paid for 14 months. We just heard that the government has given you money to pay us and you have given that money back to the government saying it is your cooperate social responsibility.
“Paying us and enabling us to serve Ghanaians is also social responsibility. I recently sent a claim from February 2019, and when you had some money, you’ve gone to give to the COVID-19 Fund, what kind of life is this?” he said.
Justifying their decision to donate, however, Communications and Media Relations Manager of NHIA, Barimah Sarpong said they do not as an agency, channel all their monied into the payment of claims.
“We don’t channel all our monies into the payment of claims. It doesn’t work that way. If we entertain this, very soon, we are going to ask why we are paying salaries when we haven’t paid claims… We have been paying claims and we haven’t stopped, so this GHS 250,000 cannot stop our payment of claims,” he said.
