Haruna Iddrisu, the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, has raised concerns about the National Health Insurance Authority’s (NHIA) allocation of GH¢2 million for dialysis support to needy patients this year.
He believes that a more sufficient allocation would have been GH¢10 million.
During a discussion in Parliament on Wednesday regarding the proposed formula for the disbursement of the National Health Insurance Fund, Iddrisu stated that the NHIA could allocate GH¢10 million, considering the national emergency of the lack of dialysis centres across the country.
“There is a national emergency of the absence of dialysis centres across the country. We have an opportunity as parliament to allocate money for the purpose of saving lives and saving persons who may be suffering from dialysis.”
“Mr Speaker I do not think that the amount of GH¢2million is enough particularly when you consider the Corporate Social Responsibility allocation of the same authority of GH¢30 million.
“At least an amount of GH¢10 million should be set aside for purposes of supporting interventions related to dialysis whether in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale, or Bolga,” he noted.
Director of Corporate Affairs at the National Health Insurance Agency (NHIA), Oswald Mensah, has noted while the NHIA has received numerous requests to add several diseases to their benefits package, resources available to the Agency will not be enough to cover the expenses.
In October 2023, President Akufo-Addo issued a directive to the Ministry of Health and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to create a comprehensive strategy for funding kidney treatment in the country.