The Lead advocate for the Ghana Chamber of Pharmacy Ernest Owusu Aboagye has hinted they will suspend the distribution of drugs to various health facilities on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) across the country on 1 August.

He said the intended action is due to non-payment of arrears owed to the chamber by hospitals under the NHIS.

Owusu Aboagye said “all the various health facilities who owe them must pay all arrears owed them before the said date”.

Speaking on Adom FM's morning show Dwaso Nsem he pointed out that health care facilities in the three Northern regions have up to about nine months arrears waiting to be paid while Ashanti Region owes up to six months.

According to Mr. Aboagye delays in payments of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) by the Finance Ministry continues to take a huge toll on the businesses of Pharmaceutical companies supplying to the health facilities.

This he said has rendered the health service providers incapable of paying for medicines pharmacies supply them.

“The pharmaceutical industry has observed that the finance ministry in 2013 released only 54 percent of the statutory payments due to the NHIA. This is woefully inadequate”.

He stated that the inability of the ministry to pay the chamber has made it impossible for them to import more drugs into the country.

He went on to say the woes of the chamber have been worsened due to the fall in the cedi.

Any further delay in the release of funds to health centres admitting the NHIA will cause many pharmaceutical companies to collapse, he stated.

He warned of an imminent shortage of essential medicines in health facilities across the country if funds are not released.