The Western Regional Manager of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Mr. Francis Asante Mensah, has clashed with District Managers of the Scheme, as well as Hospital Administrators over an alleged payment of arrears that the Authority owed the various hospitals from the period of March to July 2010. The regional Manager told a meeting of stakeholders of the health institution that the government and the NHIA had released a total of GH¢ 22,899,132.07 for the region to clear the backlog of arrears which the Authority owed the various hospitals from the period of January to July this year. As a result, the monies had been released into the accounts of the District Managers of the NHIS for onward payment to the various hospitals. The said stakeholder meeting was attended by the Deputy Minister of Health, Mr. Rojo Mettle Nunoo and some District Chief Executives. Some of the scheme Managers, who apparently were uncomfortable about the regional NHIA boss claims, rose on their feet to challenge their boss to set the records straight over the payment of the arrears, which the latter had claimed the NHIA had cleared. First to challenge the regional NHIA boss was the Amenfi West Manager of the NHIS. According to him, he was surprised that his boss could come out public to tell the meeting that NHIA had cleared the arrears it owed to the various hospital from the period of January to July 2010. This is because the NHIA had a fortnight ago placed an advert in the national daily announcing that the arrears due the various hospitals for the month of March to May, would be settled in July. As a result, he found the argument advanced by his boss that the NHIA had been cleared of all arrears from the period of January to July doubtful. The Axim District Hospital Administrator, Mr. Domie Godswill on his part categorically told Newsmen that the assertion by the regional NHIA boss was totally false. "This is a political propaganda. He just does not want to embarrass the Minister because he knows very well that there are arrears to be cleared", the Hospital administrator told the Chronicle. According to the Hospital Administrator, he, as an administrator of a hospital had not received any amount of money covering the period of January to July arrears as claimed by the regional NHIA boss. However, the Axim Hospital Administrator told newsmen that the NHIA had been able to clear the arrears of January to March. This, according to the hospital administrator, apparently necessitated the NHIA to place an advert in the national dailies that it is taken steps to clear the arrears of March to June this month. But the regional NHIA Boss in an interview with The Chronicle insisted that the said arrears had been cleared by the NHIA. Source: Chronicle