Sunyani, Sept 11, GNA - Mr Samuel Owusu Adjei, a Deputy Minister of Health, on Tuesday appealed to accredited health service providers to exercise restraint as government takes steps to address the settlement of claims owed them by mutual health insurance schemes. He stated that "there is a problem with the transmission of funds and not that funds are unavailable".

The deputy minister said 50 per cent of the bill should be paid up-front whilst others were being vetted but this was not being complied with".

Mr Owusu Adjei was reacting to complaints by heads of some private and government health institutions operating in the Sunyani Municipality about the irregular payment of bills. He was on a working visit to the institutions to assess the rate of implementation of the national health insurance scheme and to acquaint himself with problems facing its implementation in the Brong Ahafo Region.

Private health providers expressed satisfaction with the level of patronage of the scheme and commended the government for introducing it.

"About 90 per cent of my clients have registered with the scheme but there is the need for them to ensure the timely payment of their premiums," said Dr. Nicholas Mensah Berko, Medical Consultant, Greenhill Clinic.

Briefing the deputy minister on the state of the Sunyani Municipal Hospital, Dr. Samuel Dogbe, the Medical Superintendent, said the hospital was grappling with a high patient/doctor ratio of 1:250, coupled with general staff crisis.

Other problems are dilapidated structures, old electrical wiring systems and equipment, as well as lack of an ambulance service. Mr. Osei Kwateng, hospital accountant, said the staffing problem was taking a huge toll on the finances of the hospital. It pays 18 million cedis every month to retained casual workers and the Municipal Mutual Health Insurance Scheme owes the hospital 600 million cedis between July and August. At the Regional Hospital, Dr. Joseph Edmund Sackey, Acting Medical Director, stated that staff accommodation was the major problem facing the institution.

Mr. Jonas Dakurah, head of finance, said mutual health insurance schemes across the country owed the hospital more than 1.3 billion cedis out of which the Sunyani municipal scheme owed 1.1 billion cedis. 12 Sept 06