The Volta Regional Director of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Joseph Homenya, has warned health service providers to desist from charging active National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) clients top-ups

Mr Homenya could not fathom why health service providers under the scheme would charge NHIS clients when claims of about 50 million Ghana Cedis had been disbursed to service providers across the region.

He said these when speaking to media on the sideline of stakeholders encounter on the implementation of the NHIS and its accompanying challenges in the Volta Regional capital of Ho.

“I have been receiving complains at my office that some health facilities are charging NHIS card holders top-ups, this I must say is uncalled for and has to stop immediately”

Mr Homenya who described this phenomenon as disheartening lamented bitterly on how some patients are being detained for a period of about 3 months for not being able to pay top-ups charged by the service providers.

Mr Homenya, however, added that his outfit has engaged stakeholders including authorities of the health facilities cited to be engaging in this atrocities in an attempt to put a stop to the disguised mode of extorting money from patients.

Top-up rates by some health facilities.

Checks at some facilities in the Volta Region revealed that active NHIS clients are charged to the tune of GhC300.00 for normal deliveries while caesarian deliveries are charged above GhC300.00 depending on the medical consumables used.

Clients are also charged GhC5.00 as support fee per visit for outpatient department services while those on admission pay GhC25.00 for bed for their entire stay at the facility.

Children on oxygen are charged GhC5.00 per hour while adults pay GhC10.00 for the same duration. A pint of blood which is supposed to be given for free to NHIS active clients is sold at GhC100.00.