The boss of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has described as alarmist reports, that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is near collapse. The Ghana Medical Association at the end of an Executive Council Meeting on Monday warned of imminent collapse of the scheme if adequate measures were not taken to solve some of the teething challenges affecting it. Dr Sodzi Sodzi Tetteh, General Secretary of the GMA, told Joy News a lot of attention has been focused on extending coverage of the scheme to people tO the detriment of the quality of service to the patients. He also cited needless delays in payment of outstanding claims to healthcare facilities, which he said haS had dire repercussions on those facilities. “Hospitals have overdrawn their credit facilities and some are no longer in the position to procure drugs,” he told Joy News. But in a reaction, the boss of the NHIA, Sylvester Mensah said the GMA is being unnecessarily alarmist. He accused them of “dramatizing” the problem, stating the NHIS has not defaulted in paying claims to health facilities for a period of nine months, as the GMA will have the public believe. Even though he admitted there were some delays due mostly to some administrative challenges, it does not take nine months pay health care providers their monies. Mr. Sylvester Mensah challenged the GMA to make available evidence to show that health care facilities are not paid their claims for nine months. He stressed that the NHIA has been meeting with all stakeholders to address the challenges facing the scheme. Source: Joy News/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana