The New Patriotic Party’s Election 2008 Communication Committee Chairman, Arthur Kobina Kennedy has denied virtually every accusation levelled against his party by National Democratic Congress Propaganda Secretary, Fiifi Kwetey, when he addressed a press conference early this week to speak on issues relating to the National Health Insurance Scheme. According to Arthur Kennedy, the NDC is bent on killing the NHIS to reintroduce the cash and carry if the NDC should recapture power. Read Arthur Kennedy’s response below. NDC LIES ABOUT THE NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME July 30th, 2008 This week, the NDC misinformation machine took aim at the National Health Insurance Scheme. During a Press Conference addressed by its Propaganda Secretary, Mr Fiifi Kwetey and attended by other party leaders, the NDC made the following claims: - That the minimum NHIS premium has been increased to 30 Ghana cedis. - That “in the wisdom of the NPP, the destitute, infants, the elderly, the pregnant and lactating mothers who have no means of paying the health insurance premium of 200,000 old Ghana cedis should not be given healthcare.” - That the UNDP Ghana Development Report indicates that the total number of NHIS ID Cardholders was only 1.5 million. - That huge sums are owed to providers. First, the minimum NHIS premium in the informal sector is 7.2 Ghana cedis and not 30 Ghana cedis and increases based on income levels to 48 Ghana cedis. Therefore the NDC claim is false. Second, it is not correct that the destitute are excluded from healthcare under the NHIS. In fact, the National Health Insurance Scheme exempts 62% of our population from any premium payments. Amongst these are children under 18, the elderly, indigents, active SSNIT contributers and SSNIT pensioners. Third, by the end of 2007, there were 8.29 million Ghanaians holding National Health Insurance cards, not 1.29 million as the NDC claimed. Fourth, the NDC charges about non-payment of claims is a gross exaggeration. Delays in filing of claims, errors and lack of familiarity with technology and procedures delays payments somewhat but that is improving. This year alone, the NHIS has released 883 billion old cedis to district schemes for claims settlement. Reading the NDC claims about the virtues of the “cash and carry” system would make the ignorant long for its return. Yet it was under that system that people went home to die and mothers and their newborns were routinely detained for non-payment of fees. The NHIS is not perfect. It has problems that must be fixed but to compare it to the “ cash and carry” system is a miscarriage of justice and a scale of misinformation that only the NDC can contemplate and attempt. Unfortunately, that is how they are running this year’s campaign. They hope that the dimness of memories combined with their lies will be a combination too potent to resist. We shall not permit that. The NDC walked out of Parliament rather than vote for the NHIS when it was introduced. They are for the “cash and carry” system. The NPP and the 11.2 million who have registered under it are for the NHIS. Let the people of Ghana judge who is right. The next NPP government will strengthen the NHIS, train and retain more health personnel and extend coverage of the NHIS, to children whose parents do not register. The NHIS deserves to be improved, not killed. The NDC will kill NHIS while the NPP will strengthen and improve it. Let us vote for the party of NHIS and against the party of “cash and carry.” Let us move forward! Yenko yanim! Arthur Kobina Kennedy ( Chair, Communication Committee) 2008 Campaign