By Albert Futukpor
Tamale, Oct 20, GNA – Faith-based health care providers have raised issues with government’s directive for all health facilities to pay their own electricity bills, saying this will make the sustainability of church health services difficult.
Most Reverend Peter Paul Angkyier, Bishop in-charge of Health, Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, who raised the issues, said, “The directive was announced to take immediate effect even after facilities had already committed funds in their respective budgets for the year. Raising funds to meet this high financial obligation, is for me, a hardship imposed by the State on Churches as partners in health care.”
He was speaking at the 18th National Conference of the Catholic Health Service Trust – Ghana, held in Tamale.
Most Reverend Angykier added that the government had not engaged owners and managers of the faith-based health sector about how to generate the funds from patients to pay the electricity bills to keep the facilities running.
The two-day Conference, which opened in Tamale on Wednesday, was to deliberate on matters of health care delivery in the country.
It was on the theme: “Positioning the Catholic Health Service Trust in an Advancing Technological Era.”
The Catholic Health Service Trust – Ghana comprises 49 hospitals, 97 clinics and 11 health training institutions across the country.
The Ghana News Agency understands that the government had directed all health facilities in the country to pay their own electricity bills with effect from April 2023.
Most Reverend Angkyier argued that it would be difficult for the health facilities to pay their own electricity bills because the tariffs of the NHIS, which were their source of funds, were unrealistic, and the delays in reimbursing the facilities also caused loss of financial value to the facilities.
He said, “Therefore, the import of the directive is that owners should pay for electricity used in giving care. This is not the way to go because the Church has no avenue to raise such funds. It must come from the services rendered.”
He called on the government to review the NHIS tariffs to account for the additional costs or create room for dialogue to establish a sustainable solution as the current situation might force facilities to close down due to mounting debts.
Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister, whose speech was read on his behalf, said the government would not renege on its resolve to ensure that quality health care was brought to the doorsteps of the people.
GNA