The Managing Director of Intravenous Infusions Limited, producers of pharmaceutical products, says delays in the payment of pharmaceutical products sold to the National Health Insurance Scheme through health facilities is negatively affecting the operations of the company. Mr. Richard Okrah says apart from the delays in payment, the company is being paid non-competitive prices from its transactions with government. The Intravenous Infusions Limited sell about 90 percent of its pharmaceutical products to government and according to the MD, supplied products for which payments are due within 30 days, could sometimes take up to 180 days. However, the Eastern Regional Manager of the NHIS, Mr. Collins Danso Akuamoah says the scheme has disbursed enough money to all the health and other facilities for payment and is also instituting measures to reduce the delays in payment of monies due service providers. He sited the New Juaben Mutual Health Scheme as having received enough funds to pay off all of its debts. He admitted though that there have been cases of delayed payments, but added that his outfit is employing the services of some National Service personnel to speed up its operations. Collins Danso Akuamoah added that the National Health Insurance Authority has set a new tariff, which is better than the old itemized bill which the NHIA believes would facilitate their work and reduce these delays. Story by Benjamin Henaku