Health News of Friday, 19 June 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

NHIA hasn’t cleared its debts – Chamber of Pharmacy debunks claims

Chief Executive Officer of National Health Insurance Authority, Dr. Lydia Dsane Selby. Chief Executive Officer of National Health Insurance Authority, Dr. Lydia Dsane Selby.

Executive Secretary of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana (PMAG), Lucia Addae has debunked claims that the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has settled debts owed the service providers.

According to her, NHIA has over the past 5 years owed her outfit some millions of cedis, adding that there are invoices available to buttress her claims.

“NHIS owes us. They’ve been owing us for…5 years. They have invoices to show that and then the debt about 300 million cedis. Now NHIS has come to say that in the matter of days, they’ve paid some 7 million and 5 million…” Lucia Addae said in an interview with GhanaWeb.

The Chamber of Pharmacy Ghana and the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana had earlier this week threatened to withdraw supplies to the regional medical stores as well as all facilities funded by the NHIA if they are not paid by July 1, 2020.

They added that they (Pharmaceutical companies) would subsequently be forced to “initiate supplies to the service providers in question, based on bank guarantees or cash-and-carry as a mode of payment.”

Meanwhile, the National Health Insurance Authority on Wednesday, June 17, 2020, announced that it has settled all outstanding debts owed its service providers.

The Authority said over GH¢92 million had been released for the payment of these debts even before the Finance Ministry secured additional funding from Parliament a few months ago.