The Management of Kings Medical Centre in the Kumbungu district of the Northern region says the health facility currently lacks the capacity to buy drugs and other consumables for its smooth running as a result of failure of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to pay its claims.

This development, authorities of the health facility indicated, has stalled the delivery of healthcare services to NHIS subscribers in the district as the hospital is heavily indebted to its suppliers with salaries of the hospital staff still in arrears.

Speaking to Joy News' Friday, Administrator of the hospital, Gabriel Nii Otu Ankrah noted that the hospital will resume full service only when it has taken delivery of claims paid by the NHIA.

"The hospital is remained closed. We heard on air, though unofficially communicated to us that the NHIA is making every attempt to get the money paid to us by the close of day, today", Mr. Otu Ankrah intimated.

The hospital administrator's comment comes at the back drop of reports that the Kings Medical Centre, which serves over 237 communities in the Kumbungu district, has since last week, refused to attend to new patients due to the failure of the NHIA to pay its claims.

According to him, the management of the hospital is hoping that the NHIA would make payments of its claims by close of day, today, Friday, February 7, as promised.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, the Health Ministry indicated that it had released funds for the payment of claims including that of the King’s Medical Centre in Kumbungu. 

As a result of the closure of the only healthcare facility, residents in more than 200 communities in the Kumbungu district are now resorting to herbalists.

Joy News' Hashmin Mohammed visited some of the communities, where residents have been sharing their frustrations and reports that residents of communities such as Kuldani, Magjini, Sheni, Dulin-naayili, Gbali, Toligu and Singa in the district, which are cut off by the White Volta, are experiencing difficulties in accessing healthcare.

Pregnant women seeking healthcare are carried on bicycles and travel for several hours to the river, where they are then transported on a canoe ambulance provided by the Kings medical centre, to the main facility.

But with the closure of the Kings medical centre by Management of the facility as a result of non-payment of  claims by the NHIA for  services rendered to its subscribers, some inhabitants of the area say they are now left with no option than to resort to self medication, while solutions are provided to the closure.

Maternal healthcare for many poor women in these farming communities is most likely to worsen if the NHIA does not immediately release funds to the facility to enable it render services to its subscribers in the district.