The Parliamentary Select Committee on Health is calling for an overhaul of the National Health Insurance Scheme introduced by the Kufuor administration. The committee has expressed worry over what it says has been the mounting challenges facing the scheme and attributes the situation partly to certain unilateral decisions taken by the ruling government. “We believe that sacking board members and scheme members unilaterally without bringing in place a viable alternative for the sustainability of the programme is a bad thing,” Deputy Ranking Member for Health and Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia, Dr Matthew Prempeh told Joy News. The suggestion by the parliamentary select committee follows daily media reports that health facilities registered with the NHIS are repeatedly turning away card holding patients. Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh, told Joy News the legislature is prepared to sit down with government to fix the ailing scheme. “So there is a problem that is confronting the National Health Insurance Scheme and we in Parliament…stand to partner government in reformation of the…scheme. “Anything particularly that is going to undermining the confidence in the national health insurance system is bad for Ghana,” he indicated. The NHIS administered by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), has over the years been dogged with a barrage of problems after what was widely described as a smooth takeoff. But prominent among the problems has been the failure of the NHIA to promptly settle claims by health facilities registered with the authority. The latest to have added to the hitches have been the wanton sacking of scheme managers by supporters of the ruling party, and the Mills administration’s decision to dissolve board members of the schemes when new boards have not been appointed. Whilst the ruling party nurses plans of introducing a one-time payment system next year, some industry players have criticised the plan as impracticable. Play attached audio for excerpts of Dr Prempeh's voice Story by Fiifi Koomson/Myjoyonline.com