Next NDC administration will sustain NHIS – Sylvester Mensah

A former Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority, Sylvester Mensah says the next NDC government will adopt innovative ways to raise revenue to sustain the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The NHIA has in the past faced funding challenges with some private health insurance providers and pharmaceutical manufacturers threatening to withdraw their services over unpaid debts.

Mr. Mensah told Citi News the NDC is committed to improving healthcare delivery in the country.

“Funding of the scheme has been problematic. What we intend doing as a party God willing when we enter office in January 2021. We have indicated in our manifesto that we are going to increase funding to the health insurance scheme and doing that we have indicated in our manifesto that the health insurance exemptions that is often carried along with VAT exemptions will become a thing of the past.”

“When the government declares VAT exemptions, it will not include a health insurance levy. And so for all items that are exempt from VAT, we still have to pay the two and a half percent VAT levy. We believe that will rake in a lot more resources.”

The NHIS was set up to provide financial risk protection against the cost of basic health care for all residents in Ghana.

Local pharmaceutical manufacturers have however complained about their inability to receive payments for supplies made to health facilities, regional medical stores and other service providers.

They say this is a result of the lack of transparency on the part of the NHIA.

Recently, over 50 manufacturers comprising the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Association of Ghana, (MPAG) and the Chamber of Pharmacy claimed they had provided drugs on credit to the tune of GHS100,000 within a five-year period but had received no payment for the products.