Health News of Thursday, 1 September 2011

Source: GNA

NHIS agents who extort monies from clients to face sanctions

Nkroful (W/R), Aug 31, GNA - The Nzema East and Ellembelle Manager of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Mr. Robert Edmond Nkrumah, has said agents of the scheme who extort money from clients to desist from the practice.

He said his outfit had put in place measures to track down those who would extort money from clients before registering them or renewing their cards and action would be taken against them when caught.

Mr. Nkrumah was responding to concerns raised about the attitude of NHIS staff towards their clients at its maiden meeting at Nkroful in the Ellembelle District.

He said the scheme would meet regularly with service providers on how best to address the concerns raised at the meeting.

The Public relations Officer of the scheme, Mr. Joseph Yaw Arthur, said the meeting sought to deal with extortion by agents of the scheme coupled with playing politics with their job as well as inconsistency in fee charging.

He said as a half-year review meeting, it was to enable the scheme to put measures in place to improve service delivery and reach out to people who joined the scheme but had stopped due to a number of challenges the scheme is confronted with.

Mr. Nkrumah said the move had become necessary in their quest to ensure a better and quality service delivery towards a better health for all.

The District Chief Executive for Ellembelle, Mr. Daniel K. Eshun, pledged the Assembly's support for the scheme and urged the agents to do the right thing.