The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) on Tuesday urged the Ministry of Health (MOH) to address the indebtedness of the NHIA to public health facilities.

The GMA in a letter signed by its General Secretary, Dr. Frank Serebour, to the sector Minister and made available to the GNA said the last payment made by the NHIA to the facilities was in June 2014.

The Kumasi South Regional Hospital, the Manhyia District Hospital, the Suntreso Government Hospital and the Maternal and Child Health Hospital in the Ashanti Region alone were owed a total sum of GH¢4,358,675.00.

The letter said the indebtedness was actually countrywide and that several hospitals were run basically on monies that were returned from services rendered to NHIS card bearing clients.

"Therefore, any prolonged delay in payment, as it is happening, can impact highly on the effective running of the hospitals".

“Indeed most hospitals have resorted to co-payment and in some cases outright cash and carry. This effectively defeats the very purpose for which the NHIS was established. However, we cannot blame the institutions for resorting to these practices in their quest for survival” the letter said.

"There are reports in the public domain that points to the fact that the NHIS uptake by individuals in the country was falling" the letter said, and added that, “the GMA respectively urges the Ministry of Health to actively engage the Ministry of Finance and for that matter Government to get the NHIA to pay all monies owed to the facilities as a matter of urgency in order to save these facilities from total collapse”.

The GMA again reminded the Ministry that it was its duty to ensure that health facilities were paid promptly, to ensure that, the health of the population was not compromised.