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| President of HISPAG, Upper East branch, Dr Francis Asaana |
Upper East
branch of the Private Health Care Providers Association of Ghana, HISPAG, says
they will be compelled to resort to cash and carry should authorities of the
NHIS fail to speed up the payment of claims owed them.
The group is
subsequently calling on the scheme to as a matter of urgency produce a
realistic drug and service tariffs to enable them meet their financial
challenges.
The President of the Association, Dr Francis Asaana, who is also the
Medical Director of Quality Health Centre in Garu, revealed that delay in the
payment of claims has to an extend crippled
the finances of most private health facilities in the region.
Dr Asaana
is therefore calling on the NHIA to come out with a clear schedule as to when
payment will be made.
Beyond this, the association is giving them two months
grace period to settle their claims of which failure will compel them to stop
accepting NHIS cards at their facilities.
On the issue of low drug tariffs, Dr
Asaana said since July last year, the drug tariffs have not been reviewed
upwards despite several appeals and engagement with authorities of the scheme.
He said currently over 50 percent of the prices of drugs on the scheme list is
quoted below the lowest market prices.
This, he explained, is affecting the
operations of service providers, adding that if steps are not taken to address the
issue, they will be left with no option than to import fake and cheaper drugs
into the system.
He therefore gave the scheme up to the end of this month to
come out with a realistic drug tariff else they will be resort to co-payment,
which means patients will be made to make additional payment of drugs they
purchase.
Dr Asaana, also complained about low service tariff and again called
for an upward review to enable them meet the cost of surgical operations than
what the scheme pays.
GBC NEWS
END
IA/
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