Private health facilities threaten strike over unpaid NHIS claims

The Private Health Facilities Association of Ghana has threatened an industrial action due to government’s failure to pay claims for National Health Insurance Scheme.

According to the General Secretary of the association, Frank Torblu Richard, health care delivery is being compromised due to arrears dating as far back as nine months.

Government is said to owe the association about GH¢150 million.

Speaking to the media on April 5, 2022, Mr. Torblu made some requests to government and threatened to withdraw their services if government hesitates to meet their demands.

The association stated that “we want the National Health Insurance Levy revenue to remain intact, so we don’t find ourselves in the state we are today,”

It stressed that the National Health Insurance Levy money should not be used “to support some other programmes.”

The Private Health Facilities Association of Ghana is also asking government “to expedite action to review the medicine and tariff list to reflect the current economic prices, so we can comfortably be in business.”

He said his outfit wants to meet the Health Ministry to discuss possible support from the government because “we are all working towards the achievement of SDG III.”

“Failure on the part of the authorities to comply with the set timelines, we will not hesitate to partially withdraw our services from everybody.”

His association maintains that the NHIS is in a precarious situation and in distress and “needs an immediate lifeline, to survive.”