The General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana has called on President Akufo-Addo to intervene in the distress borne by service providers of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). 

Rev. Dr. Opuni Frimpong says the government must roll out a plan to clear the debt owed to enable them to run the hospitals properly. 

"At the moment, we are literally pleading with the President and anybody who can raise a voice to come in so that the NHIS will be committed to paying the monies.

"The sense of urgency in paying and the commitment, we are yet to see that on their part. Even though our hospitals will not go on strike like others do, the challenge is so enormous something must be done for us to serve our God and Ghanaians the way we have dedicated ourselves to do," he pleaded. 

Christain Hospital Association of Ghana (CHAG) hospitals are in distress due to the failure of government to pay National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) arrears in excess of GHS200 million.

The cry of service providers for government to settle its arrears appear to be one that will not end anytime soon as payments made recently by government hasn’t helped the situation.

Recently, the Ghana Chamber of Pharmacy complained that its members have been put out of business and cannot supply health facilities with urgently needed medicine under the health insurance scheme.

Ghana's biggest social intervention programme, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is on the brink of collapse.

The scheme is reeling under a suffocating debt of GHS1.2 billion as at March 2017, with service providers threatening to revert to the dreaded cash and carry policy.

The scheme which has over 11 million subscribers risks grinding to a halt if alternative funding arrangements are not made.

Under the Scheme, patients with NHIS cards, receive health services for a period having paid some premiums to the National Health Insurance Authority.

Some people registering for the Scheme

But these patients may soon have to pay over the counter and with many Ghanaians struggling to make a living, paying before seeing the doctor will be an unwelcome appointment with death.

The Executive Director of the Christian Health Association of Ghana Peter Yeboah paints a grim picture of the situation at hand.

He told Joy News the scale and scope of debt owed his Association is "frightening" and will no doubt affect the 24-hour service delivery of his outfit.

According to him, the GHS 200 million debt owed his outfit for a period of 12 months by the NHIA has left the Christian health Association virtually on its knees.

"There is an acute shortage of medicine and consumables. We are unable to pay for our utilities and no longer credit worthy," to purchase drugs from Pharmaceutical companies, Peter Yeboah indicated.

He described the situation as "grim," with dire implications for women, children and vulnerable groups especially in the rural areas.

JOYNEWS has learnt hospitals under the Christian Health Association of Ghana are in distress as they are forced to find monies from other sources to continue providing service to patients.