The Dormaahene, Oseadeyo Agyeman Badu II, has expressed concern about the current status of Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
He noted that the NHIS is on the verge of collapse because service providers within the scheme are not receiving their rightful dues, despite the government generating substantial revenue from the National Health Insurance Levy (NHI Levy), established to finance the policy.
Addressing attendees at the 3rd Annual General Conference of the Private Health Facilities Association of Ghana in Sunyani on November 18, 2023, Oseadeyo Agyeman Badu II cautioned that if corrective action is not taken regarding the utilization of the NHIS Levy, he would consider filing a court application to seek an interpretation of the intended use of the NHIS levy.
“I want to plead with the government not to touch the National Health Insurance Levy… give it to the National Health Insurance Authority so that they can give it to the private providers.
“If you are taking the money (NHIS levy) and it is been kept somewhere how is work going to proceed? I’m on my knees begging, we have to take this issue seriously as Ghanaians, we are all suffering because of this,” he said in Twi.
He added, “I am sending a warning, at some point, I will go to court… I would ask the court whether the NHIS levy can be used for different purposes other than financing the NHIS. If I do this, people are going to say that I like coursing trouble but I want to ensure that Ghanaians have good health and also that the work of health service providers goes on”.
See what the Dormaahene had to say below: