By Iddi Yire
Accra, GNA – The Government has paid arrears to service providers and suppliers of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) up to April 2022, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, the Health Minister, has informed Parliament.
He said this month (January 2023), the Ministry was still reimbursing claims for May 2022.
However, there are still about seven months outstanding arrears to settle.
Mr Agyeman-Manu made the revelation in Accra at a hearing of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament.
The Minister was at the Committee’s sitting to respond to issues concerning his Ministry that were raised in the in the 2020 Report of the Auditor-General on Public Accounts of Ghana: Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for the Year Ended, 31 December, 2020.
Regulation 38 of the National Health Insurance Regulations requires a claim of payment of health service submitted to the scheme shall be paid within four weeks after receipt of the claims from the health care facility unless there is legal impediment.
According to the report, contrary to the above provision, the auditors noted that as of 31 August 2020, the NHIS owed 46 owed 46 Budget Management Centres (BMC) GH¢ 20,999,551.10 for services rendered between June 2019 and August 2020.
The auditors recommended that the Heads of the BMCs should engage the CEO, NHIA for reimbursement of the outstanding amount.
Mr Iddie Kofi Adams, a Member of PAC, and Member of Parliament (MP) for Buem, asked the Minister what the current status of reimbursement of payment was to accredited health institutions, especially for the 2019 and 2020 period.
The Minister responded that all the claims for the 2019/2020 period had been settled.
He noted that the Government was working hard to settle all outstanding arrears.
GNA