Kumasi, April 8, GNA - The government would clear the nationwide unp= aid claims of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) totalling GH¢50,000,000.00 from next week. This would cover all outstanding arrears to service providers up to February 2010. Mr Sylvester Mensah, Chief Executive of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), told the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi that, the Authorit= y was determined to maintain a clean sheet. "By June this year, the Authority would no longer allow itself to be accused of delaying payment and would keep to payment in arrears of not m= ore than three months as provided for in the law."

He was speaking to the Agency during the NHIS-Providers forum in Kumasi, on Thursday. He said their target is to approach a maximum of two months arrears by t= he close of the year. The announcement comes as a big relief to service providers, who have be= en complaining about delays in claims refund. The delays, they say, is affecting their operations, especially, drugs re-stock, other supplies and equipment. Most of them have even denied health services to card holders of the scheme, asking that, they paid upfront before services are provided. This has resulted in growing anxiety among subscribers about its possibl= e collapse.

Mr Mensah said even though tension had been mounting over the delays in the payments, it was better; a proper scrutiny was done before payments. He said recent clinical audit of the schemes across the country had revealed massive abuses and fraudulent activities by some scheme official= s and service providers. Three scheme managers and officers are in prison custody while 33 others=

are on interdiction. He vowed that the NHIA would tackle corrupt practices and inject sanity into the system. They would also cooperate with all stakeholders to find appropriate mechanisms to sustain the operations of the scheme. 8 April 10