Thousands of patients carrying National Health Insurance Cards are being denied healthcare by hospitals at the Prestea Huni Valley District in the Western Region.

This is because the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) owes the hospitals more than ten months in claims.

The Prestea Huni Valley Government Hospital for instance is owed over ¢800,000.

The doctor there Lesley Issah Adams Zacharia told Joy News the hospital has been stretched financially for far too long.

He said all efforts to get some reimbursement from the NHIA have proved futile and so the facility will no longer be able to offer their services to their clients.

“We have given prior notice to our major stakeholders that because of the delay in reimbursement from the NHIA we are unable to continue to offer services to our clients because we owe so many suppliers and all efforts to get at least a month’s reimbursement have proved futile.”

Mr Zacharia said the last reimbursement they received from the NHIA was in February 2014 and that all claims sent to the authority in subsequent months have not received any response.

He said until the facility receives some reimbursement from the NHIA, it will continue to run the cash and carry system.

Meanwhile District NHIA officer, Francis Adjei said the authority is working on the claims.

He said the claims have been forwarded to the Claims Processing Center (CPC) for vetting and that the monies will be released as soon as the processes are completed