NHIA officials sacked by Parliament’s Committee on Health

Parliament’s Committee on Health on March 31, 2022, sacked officials of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) after it emerged that less than 10 percent out of a total of over 2billion Ghana cedis collected last year was deposited into the health fund.

According to the Ranking Member of the Health Committee, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the government of Ghana collected GH¢2.056bn in the name of the National Health Insurance in the year 2021 but they have only released GH¢127million, which is 10 per cent of the total amount collected.

But when the NHIA officials appeared before the committee with a plan on its allocation for 2022, they were however ordered to go back and come with the minister responsible for finance because the NHIS Act is clear that when those monies are collected, they are supposed to be lodged into the NHIS Fund within 30 days after collection.

Addressing the media, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh explained that “as we have always indicated to know how much the government of Ghana has collected in the name of the National Health Insurance Scheme with respect to 2021. As part of the practices of the House, the National Health Insurance Authority is supposed to appear before us every year especially with respect to their formula.

“Today, as part of the procedure they appeared before the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health. They presented a document to us which is titled; ‘National Health Insurance Authority, National Health Insurance Fund allocation for 2022.’ We checked page 10 and by their own records says the government of Ghana has collected ¢2.056bn in the name of National Health Insurance in the year 2021 and they have released ¢127million, less than 10 percent of the amount collected in the year 2021.”

The committee has tasked the NHIA to bring the minister responsible for finance with it to respond to questions with regards to the NHIS Fund.

“We don’t make laws on the floor of the House for people to sit in their office to alter the law. So, for these two reasons, we asked them to go back and come with the Minister responsible for Finance because the NHIS Act is clear that when you collect these monies you are supposed to lodge it into the NHIS Fund within 30 days after the collection,” Akandoh added.