Members of the Minority in Parliament have expressed outrage over what they describe as the blatant disregard for the sustenance of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) by the government, allegedly resulting in the NHIS's bankrupt financial position.

According to them, the government's gross and wanton neglect has driven the NHIS into a precarious financial state, likened to a state of comatose and requiring intensive care services to save it from impending and inevitable collapse.

The Minority said this in a statement issued by the Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh on Friday, May 24.

The statement cited an interview granted by the Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr Dacosta Aboagye, on JoyNews on Friday, stating that the authority is still waiting for the Ministry to release funds for operations.

This, the Minority said is quite worrying considering the fact that Dr Aboagye repeatedly said the NHIA was in a robust financial position. 

“How can the NHIA be in a robust financial position if it has not received any releases since his [Dr Aboagye’s] appointment on the 28th of February 2024? In fact, the NHIA is bankrupt because it has not received any releases from the Ministry of Finance this year. 

“In addition, our checks at the Bank of Ghana show that the National Health Insurance Fund has less than GHȼ1.0 million. This is a fund that is bankrupt, to say the least,” part of the statement read.

The Minority said that although, members of the Bawumia-led Economic Management team while in
opposition made several promises to improve the NHIS, they have at every turn installed impediments previously unknown to the scheme since they assumed the reins of power.

"The first major blow to hit the NHIS was the sponsoring of the Earmarked Funds Capping and Realignment Act in 2017 by the Akufo-Addo Cabinet. This statute allowed them to operationalize their ulterior motive of diverting critical funds meant for the NHIS into the consolidated fund for projects and programs not approved by Parliament, like the National Cathedral Project, which has now become the most expensive hole in the world.

"The operation of the Earmarked Funds Capping and Realignment Act has denied the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) payments of over GHȼ6.0 billion. These payments could have gone a long way to improve on the health of the fund and help expand its services to critical treatments like dialysis and cancer care, which currently are not covered by the scheme."

The Minority further claimed that in a recent 'shameless charade' to deceive Ghanaians, the Minister of Finance, after five months of not transferring a Cedi to the NHIS, issued a letter directing the
Controller and Accountant General to transfer GHȼ2.4 billion to the NHIF.

It said this gesture, with no actual intention to make payments, was nothing less than gross official deception and has left the scheme in a state of insolvency.

"The underfunding of the scheme has the potential to trigger epidemics such as measles and cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM), as witnessed in the 2022 and 2023, leading to increased morbidity and mortality among the Ghanaian residents.

"If the current situation persists with the government's refusal to fund the NHIS, 2024 may see a resurgence of childhood diseases previously eradicated in Ghana. This outcome must be avoided at all costs," the Minority said.

The statement further said that the Bawumia-led economic management team must however take cognisance of the fact that the NHIS relies on the trust that the government will pay claims of
subscribers when they fall due, adding that undermining this trust threatens the very existence of the fund as established by law.

"The Minority, therefore, calls on the Bawumia-led Economic Management Team to direct the Minister responsible for Finance to release and transfer all outstanding payments to the National Health Insurance Fund by close of the week to prevent the scheme from being imperiled due to lack of funds."