Cape Coast, Feb. 08, GNA - The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) revealed it lost a whooping GH¢17million to fraudulent deals last year, Mr. Eric Ametor-Quarmyne, the Deputy Director in charge of Corporate Affairs, said on Tuesday.

He was of the expectation that service providers of the Scheme would pay more attention to claims they submit to the Authority by ensuring that they were devoid of fraud and abuses. Mr. Ametor-Quamyne said this at a sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of an estimated GH¢600,000 two-storey office complex to hous= e the Central Region secretariat of the NHIA in Cape Coast. The project, which is expected to be completed within 18 months, will comprise five offices, utility areas, toilet facilities, a kitchen, a canteen as well as a conference room. The ceremony, performed by Nana Kwamina Nyinfa IX, Adontenhen of Oguaa Traditional Area, is the first building to be started in the country for th= e NHIA and would be replicated in the other Regions during the year. He announced that as soon as work on the regional offices are completed= , construction work would begin in all the 145 District Scheme Offices across the country to provide congenial working environment for the staff and also cut down on the exorbitant rents currently being paid by the Authority to save cost.

Mr. Ametor-Quarmyne reminded service providers of their responsibility towards subscribers of the Scheme and urged them to render best services particularly to pregnant women under the free maternal health delivery system.

He said the contractors for the project had been given mobilization to begin work and expressed gratitude to the government for supporting the project financially. The Central Regional Manager of the NHIA, Mr. James Mettle, said the Authority had been operating in rented offices since its inception in the Region and that huge sums of monies were paid as rent.