NDC accuses the government of diverting the GHC17m from NHIS into a private investment company

General News of Monday, April 15, 2019

Source: citinewsroom.com

2019-04-15

The National Democratic Opposition Congress (NDC) has accused the government of illegally transferring more than 17 million GHC funds from the National Health Insurance Scheme into a private fund management company, All Time Capital Investment.

According to the party's national communications officer, Sammy Gyamfi, the transaction was conducted without due diligence and risk badessment.

In recent years, the minority has expressed concerns about the use of NHIS funds for useless programs.

This then led to the allocation of about 5 million GHC NHIS funds to corporate social responsibility.

Cape Coast Hospital is also concerned about the non-payment of health insurance claims for millions of Ghanaian cedis.

In the third edition of the Moment of Truth series organized by the NDC, Gyamfi attributed the current financial difficulties of the project to embezzlement and other alleged fraudulent activities.

"Our careful investigations revealed that when President Akufo-Addo took office – the National Health Insurance Authority (National Health Insurance Authority) transferred a huge GHC17, 548, 370.20 in three installments to a financial corporation called All Time Capital Limited, supposed to be an investment.

"Irrefutable evidence at our disposal indicates that, despite the repeated efforts of the system to recover invested funds and accrued interest, they have failed. The company informed the National Health Insurance Board that it could make certain payments if only the investment funds could be managed for another year. This situation contributes to the worsening of the financial situation of the plan. "

"The government has not undertaken any risk badessment. It is taxpayers who are supposed to fund the plan and pay the service providers so that our hospitals can be managed so that patients have access to quality care. But that 's what they chose to use for money and the money is stuck there. What did we do to hurt President Akufo-Addo and his government? He asked.

NHIS could stop in 12 months – NHIA Boss

The National Health Insurance Plan (NHIS) may not exist as we know in 12 months because of funding issues, said NHIA Executive Director Dr. Samuel Annor.

Responding to the concerns of the Health Insurance Providers Association that the NHIS would have died in a year on Eyewitness News, Dr. Annor said: "I would not say I would die, but we would not do the service we are supposed to do. "

The CEO of NHIA has long argued that the program was short of funds to operate.

"Between 2009 and now, we have just accumulated debt," said Dr. Annor about the NHIS. As a result, the plan could be dysfunctional by 2019.

"One billion GHC on 1.2 billion NHS debt offset" – Nana Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, had previously said that his administration was gradually reviving the NHIS, which was struggling under the Mahama government because of its debt.

According to President Akufo-Addo, "Of the debt of 1.2 billion GH ¢, we [government] inherited, the equivalent of 300 million dollars, we[government] have paid, in the last 15 months, 1 billion GH ¢, the equivalent of 250 million dollars ".

He added that payments to service providers since his government took office in January 2017 were consistent.

As a result, "the regime is returning to its effectiveness so that, for a minimum amount, subscribers can have access to a wide range of medical services."