The Ashanti regional chairman of the health providers association of Ghana, Eric Acheampong, has warned against extending the capitation programme to other regions in the country.

According to him, the programme, which was introduced in the Ashanti region over the past three years on a pilot basis, has been associated with serious problems making the programme to wobble.

Speaking to Joy News Thursday, Mr. Acheampong noted that the capitation programme is not worth extending to other regions, since the policy has put most health facilities in the Ashanti region at a disadvantaged position.

He said most health facilities depending on the capitation programme are collapsing as they are not able to pay the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contributions and taxes of staff.

The situation, Mr. Acheampong pointed out, has led to lots of staff in the health facilities to be laid off.

He therefore insisted that he will not support the view that the capitation programme should be extended to other regions.

He was of the view that the capitation programme should be focused on how to deliver quality healthcare services to ensure that the Ghanaian leads a healthy life and not to base the programme on how to save the state some money.

His assessment of the capitation programme came at the back drop of issues in Parliament, where Members of Parliaments (MPs) are divided over the viability of the capitation payment method adopted by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

The programme, which advances funds for healthcare before services are rendered, was fiercely resisted in the Ashanti region, where it was first introduced.

The programme encountered some difficulties as a result of late release of funds, rate of payments to providers, which is a drawback for the implementation of the programme.

The programme is expected to be introduced in the Volta region, Upper east and the Upper west regions.

However, the programme will only be implemented if a review has been made.

The MP for Wa West, Mr. Yieleh Chireh, who was agreed to move the motion in Parliament by consensus, noted that the programme will be viable after it has been reviewed to extend to other regions.

He said, with the introduction of the programme, the payment mechanism will save the country a lot of money, adding, "we will not ignore the obvious problems associated with the capitation programme".

Speaker of Parliament has given the health minister three weeks to review the capitation programme and submit report to the house.

Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, MP for Asawase and majority chief whip in Parliament, who disagreed with the notion that the capitation programme is not favourable, argued that finances of the health facilities, which are under the programme, have improved as against when they were on the Integrated Diagnostics Group (IDG) programme.

He therefore cited the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) as one of the big health facilities that are experiencing improved finances as a result of using the capitation programme.

According to him, the capitation programme is lawful and covers only Out Patients Department (OPD), where medicine, maternity care and a number of healthcare treatments have been exempted.

Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak further noted that the capitation programme is a risk sharing healthcare programme as compared to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which had been identified with fraud perpetuated by the healthcare providers, Scheme managers and the subscribers to the scheme.

He is therefore of the view that the capitation programme should be extended to all other regions.

But, Richard Anane, ranking member of the health committee in Parliament and MP for Nhyieso in the Ashanti region disagreed with the MP for Asawase, arguing that the introduction of the capitation programme is impacting negatively on healthcare delivery.

Mr. Anane said the capitation programme is not managed properly to the benefit of the people and therefore, there is the need for it to be looked at again.

He noted that for the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Edward Doe Adjaho, to ask the minister of health to review the programme and submit report back to parliament, is victory to the Ghanaian people.

Meanwhile, Mr. Anane is hoping that there will be improvement on all the modes of management in the programme, when the review is ready, insisting, "if we can do the programme, it should be done well and appropriately".