The New Patriotic Party’s Member of Parliament for Asuogyaman constituency in the Eastern Region, Kofi Osei Ameyaw is pushing cardholders of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), to sue the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA)for violating their human rights. According to him, the inability of card bearing patients to access medical care as a result of failure by the NHIA to pay claims to service providers, amounts to a violation of the rights of the patients. Mr. Osei Ameyaw also recommended to service providers, particularly the missionary hospitals whose accounts were not credited for the past Six months, to take legal action against the NHIA for breach of contract. The NHIA has a 90-day standing agreement with the service providers, within which claims are processed and paid. But many of the hospitals, including some Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), have suspended services to cardholders of the scheme due to the Authority’s failure to promptly pay claims submitted. The CHAG says NHIA owes its members over Gh¢ 50 million as at January 31, 2013. Speaking on Badwam on Adom TV Wednesday, the NPP MP noted that the nonpayment of the funds to service providers within the stipulated 90-days period could make the hospitals incur additional debts which can negatively affect the facilities’ credit worthiness. Meanwhile former Health Minister and ranking member on the Parliamentary Sub-Committee on Health, Dr. Richard Anane, says government should be blamed for the state of affairs at the NHIA. The MP for Nhyiaeso constituency of Ashanti, blames government for failing to prioritise the Scheme, giving rise to the current situation of financial challenges bedeviling it.