The Public Relations Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kwame Frimpong, has denied it is not accepting National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card bearers.

Some patients, who had initially received treatment at the hospital on certain diseases using the insurance scheme, were turned away when they went there for further treatment prompting accusations the hospital authorities were rejecting NHIS cards.

But Mr Frimpong told to host of Joy FM’s Super Morning Show: “It is erroneous for people to give the impression that we have reinstated that cash-and-carry system at the hospital.”

According to him, the complainants were turned away because the hospital realised rather belatedly that the conditions for which they were treated were not covered under the scheme.

Mr Frimpong, explained that after the rectification, patients with tumor-related diseases were asked to pay for the service because they were no longer covered by the NHIS.

He insisted that the hospital would do nothing to undermine the scheme, adding that over 80 per cent of its revenue comes from the scheme.

“I will like to put on record that Komfo Anokye still accepts health insurance. We have not stopped completely treatment of National Health Insurance patients who come with valid cards.”

He said it was just last Friday that the attention of the hospital was drawn to the fact that aside breast and cervical cancer, the cost of all other cancers should be borne by the patient and not the scheme.

“What happened was that in the past we were treating certain conditions under the National Health Insurance, and our attention was drawn to it by the authority that those conditions are not included in the benefit package of the scheme, and therefore, we should not have treated those conditions and submitted the bills thereon to the authority for payment.”

Mr Frimpong said since then, a directive was given by the hospital authorities that “all those who are coming to the hospital with those conditions would have to pay cash for services rendered in respect of those medical conditions”.

Deputy Communications Manager of the NHIA, Eric Ametor-Quarmyne told Joy FM: “All accredited healthcare institutions which work with the National Health Insurance Scheme have been given what is our benefit package and what is our exclusion list. The exclusion list states that all cancer treatment, other than cervical and breast cancer are not covered.”

He said the erroneous claims by the hospital were detected by the consolidated claim processing center of the scheme in Accra.

“Unfortunately, they have been paid wrongly to conditions that they were not to present to us but which were presented to our scheme and got paid, but we will no longer continue to pay for these conditions any longer.”

Story by Isaac Essel/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana